Fabled World
by the bigshot
Summary: What do you do when you suddenly wake up in the body of a creature you never would have thought even existed. A young kid, that suddenly becomes a Riolu, doesn't quite know what happened, but he learns to persevere In this new and foreign land.
1. Chapter 1

**Welp, I'm officially back to my old hobby of story writing, actually been awhile since I've even done anything on this site, but I finally got bored enough and decided to post an new story series about a human turned into Riolu, I know its cliché, but what are ya gonna do right.**

 **Now without further ado, chapter one of "Fabled World" shall now begin.**

 **Disclaimer: Pokemon is a product of the Nintendo corporation, I own nothing(Sadly.)**

My entire being felt numb and heavy as I laid on a soft surface that I don't remember ever falling asleep on. The hum of machinery was the only sound I heard, along with a steady high pitched beep of what I believed was a heart monitor. I tried to open my eyes so I could get a sense of where I was, but was immediately forced to shut them back as the bright light above me felt like a knife going through my pupil. My attempt to cover my eyes also proved futile as my arm felt like it was made of pure lead.

I was forced to just lay there as the light drilled past my eyelids and that infernal beeping pierced my eardrums with each passing second till I just couldn't stand it anymore.

The beeping continued as I forced my arm over my chest until all I could focus on was the now constant buzzing of the monitor after my arm accidentally hit a thin wire, making something that felt like a suction cup come off of my chest. The sound made me clench my teeth in pain, it hurt my ears worse than before until it all suddenly just stopped.

"So your finally awake." My ears twitched hearing a voice ring out from above me. The lights dimmed down enough to where it no longer hurt and I was able to crack my eyes open. Everything was blurry for a minute, but in was soon able to see a young man smiling at me. He looked to be about in his mid-teens and wore a red and white baseball cap that covered his jet black hair and the hair that the hat couldn't cover seemed to spike out on the sides of his head. His deep sapphire blue eyes looked down at me with interest as I stared back into them.

"You gave us quite a scare there bud, Nurse Joy said you were in pretty bad shape when I brought you in." Brought me in…brought me in where?

I tried sitting up so I could at least see where I was, bit my sore muscles combined with the boys hand pushing back down on my chest kept me firmly in place.

"Easy there Riolu, nurse said you probably shouldn't move around to much" he told me and kept his hand on me to keep me still.

'Riolu?...what's he talking about, I'm a hu…' I stopped mid-thought when I realized that something about my body was very wrong.

"What the hell" I muttered quietly as I stared at the small blue and black fur covered paw laying across my chest where my hand was supposed to be. 'No freaking way'.

"Hey…you okay there little guy?" I heard the boy ask me, but I didn't acknowledge him.

'Paws…I have freaking paws?...what…the…fuck.' I felt my heart beating faster as each breath I took became heavy and labored.

"Riolu?!" His voiced was laced with worry and concern at my lack of a response and I felt him shaking me lightly. I slowly turned my head to look at the boy, but then I noticed a mirror sitting across the room from where I was and froze after seeing what looked back at me when I laid my eyes on it.

In the mirror was a small creature looking back at me with a pair of startling red eyes. It looked a little like a jackal covered in blue and black fur with two appendages that looked like tear drops hanging from its head and a gold collar around the neck.

'Ok…I've officially gone insane' I was pulled from my inner turmoil after hearing the kid start to laugh quietly. I looked up at him and cocked my head questioningly, confused at what he found so humorous.

"Never seen your reflection huh little guy?" he asked with amusement in his tone. I stared at him blankly and blinked twice before an involuntary chuckle escaped my…muzzle I guess.

I'll admit that, despite the gravity of my situation, me staring into the mirror must have looked pretty funny to him, seeing as that he thought I was just some wild Pokémon seeing their mirror self for the first time in their life.

"I see someone's finally up." My eyes darted over to the door where I saw a woman in probably her mid to early twenties with hot pink hair, dressed in a nurses outfit and a creature that resembled a giant pink and white marshmallow standing next to her dressed in a similar fashion.

"Hey Nurse Joy, he just woke up not to long ago" the boy told her and moved out of the way for the woman as she came up beside me.

"Hello there little one" she greeted we kindly, "how are you feeling?" I let out another small chuckle at the question.

"Kind of redundant to be asking me questions nurse" I replied, pretty much already knowing that there was a concrete thick language barrier between us. Guess my hunch was right since she didn't give a direct reply, only a smile and pat on the head.

"You certainly sound better, that's good" she noted happily, taking her hand from atop my head, folding them neatly in front of her, and turning to the boy standing beside her. "Speaking of being better, your Fennekin is now fully healed."

I saw her take a red and white ball from the tray that the marshmallow was holding and hand it over to him. The thing looked like a real, honest to God, Pokéball that I remember seeing from watching the show as a child and with my niece on multiple occasions. He thanked her and took the ball from her grasp and looked down at it with a fond smile on his lips.

"I'm also happy to inform you and Riolu that, other than probably having a few sore muscles, he seems to now be in perfect health."

'Other than the fact that I've completely lost and semblance of sanity I thought I had left.' I mentally corrected her and her presumption of my health. "I'm a Pokémon for Christ's sake, I'm far from fine.'

"That's good to hear, right Riolu?" He asked and I nodded to him in agreement, not wanting to stay in this room any longer than I have to, cause if there's one thing I hate, its being cooped up inside a room on the grounds of any medical institution.

"Okay then, just let me get you on the stretcher and wheel you up to the front and you will be free to go" she said and reached out to me. I offered no resistance, letting her lift me from the bed and place me on a wheeled stretcher that the Wigglytuff, if my memory serves correct, must have gotten out while the nurse and the boy distracted me.

"There goes my dignity" I sighed out as I dangled in the air in her arms like a toddler. I was 18 like a day ago, now I'm the size of a freaking 3 year old. At least she was quick to set me down and, as soon as my rear hit the stretcher, I felt it moving forward through the door and into the hallway.

"Your pretty lucky, you know that?" I looked towards the head of the stretcher where I saw the Wigglytuff looking back at me with a smile.

"Why's that? I asked her curiously.

"Not many Pokémon, with what you had, would be able to leave here almost immediately after waking up" she answered me, her smile never leaving her face.

"What was wrong with me?" My question made her cheerful smile falter a little and I could see a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"You had multiple lacerations across your arms and torso, as well as a mild concussion." She looked at me sympathetically before her cheery attitude came back, "but you healed up marvelously"

I couldn't help but smile back, her joyful attitude was contagious and helped take my mind off of the situation I currently found myself in. I turned back to the front of the gurney and looked down at my new paws with extreme interest.

'A Riolu huh…never would have seen that coming' I said to myself while flexing the three nubs on my paws that took the place of my fingers. I tried to bring out any recent events in my that would have led me being turned into a Pokémon, but all I could remember were bits and pieces of my life. Graduating High school, hanging out with my brother, playing with my niece, and flashes of all of my family members messing with each other, but those only came in short intervals. Most of my mind was, to my horror, completely devoid of almost all memories of my life as a human. This set off many red flags in my subconscious and I nearly had a panic attack. My entire life is gone, who I was…forgotten.

"Riolu." I blinked away the moisture in my eyes from the tears that threatened to fall and turned towards the kid after I heard his voice call out to me. "Your kinda quiet buddy, you feeling okay?"

It felt weird, but I could practically see his worry as he gave off a eerie blue light that seemed to come off of him like flames in a fire. I nodded with a forced smile, not wanting to see him be so concerned about me. The dark blue color turned to an almost slivery white shade, then to a calm light blue. The colors changed so fast that it actually scared me a little, but I did my best to ignore it by locking my sights on the Pokéball he held in his hand. From what I heard from the nurse earlier, that ball held a Pokémon called a Fennekin, and I was actually curious to find out what one of those looked like. He seemed to follow my gaze and smiled before giving me a closer look at the ball.

"You wanna meet my partner Riolu?" He asked me, promptly receiving nod from me. "Alright, but let's wait till we get outside." After he said that, I jumped slightly feeling hands slide up under my arms and lift me from the gurney before placing me on the floor.

"Sorry for the scare Riolu, didn't mean to surprise you" Joy apologized and scratched behind one of me ears, nearly making me collapse under my new legs from the unexpected, but pleasurable, touch.

"S'ok" I said with a goofy smile on my muzzle, making her giggle in amusement. I involuntarily whined when her hand pulled away, but caught myself before it was vocalized.

"Ready to go Riolu?" I looked up at the boy, which I saw was a good four feet taller than me, and nodded with an excited smile, ready to see the new world around me.

"Right behind you" I told him, but to him I just said something along the lines of "Ri Riolu."

He nodded back non-the-less and beckoned me forward while he walked towards a set of double glass doors that slid open before us, giving me a good breath of fresh air.

"Gotta say, feels good to be out of the stuffy pokecenter doesn't it?" I replied with a happy yip and walked a little ahead of him with my eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of the soft breeze ruffling my new fur coat.

"I always did enjoy the outdoors, the fresh air, sun on my skin, all that good stuff" he continued and stepped up beside me. I look up to see him still smiling at me and showing me the Pokéball that housed his Fennekin. "Now I believe its time you met my partner, I bet she's excited to meet you as well" he said with a wink and enlarged the ball before rearing his arm back.

"Okay Lilly, come on out" he yelled and tossed the ball high into the air, where it opened up with a loud pop, releasing the Pokémon inside with a flash of red light. What appeared in front of me was a bundle of fur that resembled a Fennec fox with yellow fur covering the entirety of its body with tufts of orange fur protruding from its huge ears and a tail tip colored in a similar fashion. The only color that really stood out from the rest is the snowy white fur that colored her muzzle. Her fiery red eyes stared at me curiously for a few minutes before a cheery smile appeared on her muzzle.

"Hey there, I'm Lilly" she greeted me happily and quickly closed the distance between us. Next thing I knew, she was only mere inches from my face, her warm breath tickling my nose with a faint smell I couldn't quite place. It took me mind a minute to catch up, but when it did, I released a surprised yelp before falling back on my rear. Another yelp escaped me as a spike of pain shot up my spine. I looked back to see what had caused such discomfort and saw that I had landed on my new tail.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you" Lilly said in a voice filled with sorrow and regret. I rubbed the base of my tail to try and relieve the pain before waving her off.

"Its OK, I know it was an accident" I told her and held out my free paw towards her. "Names Alex, nice to meet you Lilly."

Her smile returned full force and she quickly took the offered paw in hers and gave me a pseudo-handshake.

"Good to see you two getting along" I heard the kid say happily after watching our little exchange.

'Kid…' I thought to myself, that's all I knew him as, I never even bothered to try and ask him his name. He looked to be distracted by something in the distance, so he didn't notice me walking up to him and tugging on his pants leg.

"Huh?" he blinked a few times before looking down at me, "What is it Riolu?" I answered by pointing a paw at him, then tapping my chest and saying my name, even if he didn't understand me. He tilted his head and stared at me before a look of realization ran across his face. "Oh, I never introduced myself, my bad" he laughed before kneeling down to my eye level and held his hand out.

"I'm Caleb, pleasure to make your acquaintance Riolu" he said in a very formal voice. I laughed at his tone and took his hand into my paw, well more like the other way around with his larger appendage.

"How are you feeling Alex?" I heard Lilly ask me as she padded up beside me.

"I'm alright, don't remember much but at least I ain't hurting" her face took on a look of confusion after hearing my response.

"What do you mean you can't remember much?" I sighed and looked down at my paws for a minute before turning back to meet her eyes once again.

"Means this," I tapped my head for emphasis, "is empty, no memories whatsoever." Her expression became one of sheer horror when I told her of my amnesia.

"NOTHING!?" she shouted, getting Caleb's attention as well, "No memories of friends, family, anything!?"

"Just adding salt to the wound Lilly" I sighed while rubbing my ears, her voice reaching an octave that they just couldn't handle. Her ears flattened to the top of her head and I could see white and blue flames mixed together coming from her person and I could tell she was feeling extremely sad. This confused me greatly, her and Caleb both seemed so concerned for my well being, even though they were complete strangers. Then I noticed the flames change to a bright yellow and her smile suddenly took its place once again.

"I know, you can come with us!" She suggested, taking me by surprise.

"What!?" I questioned, my eyes as widen as plates, "come with you?" She nodded frantically and started running circles around me, making my head spin.

"Yeah, if you come with us, we can help get your memories back!" She exclaimed after coming to a stop in front of me, her tail wagging furiously. I just stared at her in a amazement, she's asking me to come with her and Caleb despite having known me for maybe five minutes.

"I…I don't know…a trainer" I gazed at the sky pensively, my mind running at a mile per minute.

'A trainer…that could actually hinder my mission to get my memories back' I thought and closed my eyes in concentration. 'On the other hand, I don't really know anything about how this world works so Caleb could be a big help in a long run.'

"Alex?" Lillie's voice entered me mind and dragged me from my thoughts. I glanced beside me, seeing not only Lily, but Caleb as well as he stood beside her and looked down at me.

"Hey Riolu…I know it's a bit sudden but, well…Lilly seems to really want you to come along with us on out journey, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't want you to come with us to." He rubbed the back of his head before taking his bag from his shoulders and rummaging through it before pulling a Pokéball from one of the pouches and held it out to me.

"So…what do you say?"

 **Well there you have it, chapter 1 is now up and loaded.**

 **Feel free to leave comments and your favs, they make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm back with the second chapter of my newest project. Sorry if I don't exactly update this as often as any devoted writer should, but this is purely a product of boredom mixed with my occasional hobby.**

 **Please don't hate me for this, dear reader.**

 **I will try my best to update as often as possible, but for now, onto the legal crap.**

 **Disclaimer: Nintendo is a owned and registered trademark of Nintendo, I don't own jack.**

"So what do you say?"

All I could do was stare at the ball just inches away from my muzzle. The offer caught me completely off guard so bad that I couldn't even formulate an answer.

"I-…I don't…" I stuttered, despite him not being able to understand me. Thankfully he caught onto my hesitance and pulled the ball away from me.

"Its ok, you don't have to answer right away, I know it's a little sudden, take your time and think on it." He said while rubbing my ears softly. I looked up to see him smiling down at me again before pulling something else out of his bag.

"You hungry?" He asked and replaced the ball from earlier with a strange pink looking fruit. I had to delve deep into what little memory I had left to identify it as a Pecha berry, which he placed in my paw. I looked down at the small berry in my paw with intrigue before bringing it closer to my snout, giving it a tentative sniff. I know its not something I would have done as a human, but it felt right in this new body of mine.

'Smells like sugar' I thought before taking a small bite of the fruit. My eyes shot open at the explosion of flavor that delighted my taste buds. It was so sweet, I couldn't even compare it to anything I'd ever tasted before. Then again I couldn't really remember anything I've eaten lately.

"You like it buddy?" he laughed while he watched me inhale the delectable treat. A small whimper escaped me after I ate the last of the berry, making Caleb laugh once again. "Sorry bud, that was my last one, how about we get somewhere more comfortable while I fix us some real food instead." He offered after getting back up on his feet and securing the bag around his shoulders. He gestured me forward and started walking along the road with Lilly on his heels. I absentmindedly followed after him, trying to come up with a conclusion as to why he would have offered to bring me along with him on his journey.

'Do I just seem that trustworthy, or is he desperate for greater numbers on his team' that's when I realized what I now was. Riolu evolve into Lucario, a very strong and very intimidating Pokémon that I believed that many a trainer would covet. 'Maybe he's just wants me for the potential power I could grant him' I concluded. If that truly is the case, then he would be severely disappointed. I don't even know if I received any powers after my mysterious transformation, but my instincts told me that I'd end up learning the answer pretty soon.

"Hey Riolu?" I looked up at Caleb, catching sight of his eyes gazing down at me with barely contained giddiness. "I was wondering…would you like to have a battle with us?" I tilted my head in response, wondering where that question has arisen from.

"A…battle?"

"Yeah, its actually really fun." Lilly told me from her place by Caleb's feet, "I love the excitement and thrill of a good battle." I looked between the two for a minute before bringing a paw up to my chin in thought.

'A battle...this can be a good chance to test out this new body of mine' I looked back up at them and saw the twin look's of hope and desperation in their eyes. They must have either been itching for a battle for awhile, or were eager to show someone their combined power and teamwork.

'Why the hell not' I nodded to Caleb, causing a giddy smile to form on his face before he quickly ushered me to the back of the Pokémon center where a large dirt field lay with large white lines like a basketball court.

"Man, this'll be so cool" Caleb was unable to contain the happiness in his voice, "I heard that Riolu and Lucario are super strong, can you believe we get to actually battle one Lilly?"

"This is going to be so exciting" Lillie's tail was wagging so fast that I was afraid it was gonna fly off.

"Y'all really love battling don't you?" I laughed, receiving a blush from the adorable little firefox.

"Yeah, it's kind of our thing" she replied sheepishly, making me let out another chuckle.

"Nothing wrong with that."

"Are you two ready?" Caleb shouted impatiently from the other side of the field. He truly was a very energetic person.

"Better get this rolling before your trainer looses his head" Lilly giggled and nodded before running over to Caleb, leaving me on the other side to face them in my very first battle. I don't know why I actually agreed to this, but something in the back of my mind was almost ordering me to fight. Maybe its my new fighting type nature taking over, maybe it was just me being an idiot.

'Too late to find out now, I'm going off a wing and a prayer.' I thought nervously, getting into a fighting stance. Lilly did the same and I caught a small bead of sweat rolling down Caleb's forehead. 'He's already too nervous, he's gotta learn to calm down.'

"Alright, Lilly, use scratch!" He ordered and I caught sight of Lillie's claws begin the glow brightly before she shot towards me like a bullet. I watched her movements closely and waited for her to close in on me before sidestepping her attack and grabbing her by her tail.

"Wha-" was all she could mutter before being hurled clear across the field, landing inches from her original position. I was honestly amazed at my reaction time, but I forced myself not to show it. I wanted to seem confident to try and throw off my opponent.

"Lilly, you ok?" the fox nodded in response and got back in her stance, her muscles tense. She was ready to go…perfect...this is gonna be fun.

"Quick Attack!" I didn't think it was possible, but she was actually faster than last time, I couldn't possibly keep up with her, all I could do was brace myself for the impact. When she connected the hit, it felt like I just got rammed by a freaking freight train, it actually knocked me back a few feet. That presence in the back of my head took over again and my arm started moving on its own accord.

" _Concentrate your energy into your paw_ " I heard a voice tell me in my mind.

'What'

" _Just do it_ " I decided not to question the little voice telling me what to do, that should probably worry me actually, and tried channeling my inner power into my paw. I was surprised when my paw actually started glowing brightly and I unconsciously touched Lilly's ribcage.

" _Now release_." I did as commanded and let loose all of the stored energy in my paw. This caused a large explosion that sent Lilly flying across the field once again.

"LILLY!" Caleb yelled and ran towards the Fennekin after the dust cleared out. Said Pokémon was laying her side, out like a light. I actually felt kinda bad for causing Lilly to be in this state and found myself by her side in an instant.

"Lilly?" I nudged her lightly, 'Did I over do it?' Caleb was quick to pick her up and run towards the Pokémon center, not even seeming to acknowledge my concern. I bit my cheek fearfully and ran after him as fast as I could, but even with my seemingly enhanced speed, I was hard-pressed to keep up with him.

"Damn dude, you're a freaking pint-sized powerhouse aren't you?" he laughed good-naturedly from his chair in the center lounge, much to my amazement. I just put his partner out of commission in one blow, and he's laughing about it.

"Your friend is hurt, how are you not upset!?" He just stared at me, reminding me of that ever-loving language barrier between us.

"Your worried about Lilly aren't you"

'Thank you oh divine being.' I quickly nodded at looked at him with worried eyes. He just smiled and patted my head comfortingly.

"Don't worry about her little dude, she a strong girl, she's probably gonna come out those doors any second now." As if on cue, the little tone rang through the center, signaling the complete healing of a patient, and the doors to the back offices opened, revealing a smiling Fennekin sitting calmly on a gurney being pushed by the Wigglytuff from earlier.

"Thank you for waiting, your Fennekin is back to full health." Nurse Joy informed us, her happy smile melting away my anxiety.

"CALEB" Lilly jumped from the gurney and into the arms of her beloved trainer. He caught her easily, laughing while she climbed up his arms and perching herself on his shoulder.

"Haha, happy to see you to girl." I found myself smiling at the adorable scene between the partners. I could see he took very good care of his friend, and he had potential in battle. Those nerves would be the end of him though.

'Maybe I should stick around for awhile, see if I could help fix that problem.'

"Alex, did you even hear me?"

"Huh?" I looked up at the fox.

"I said that you were awesome," she jumped to the floor and started running around me, "your so strong, I couldn't even last after one hit" she continued running around while I rubbed my arm sheepishly.

"Uhh, thanks I guess...are you doing ok though?" I asked and she came to a stop in front of me before twirling around and getting back in her fighting pose.

"Oh yeah, I'm raring to go" her attitude made my smile return as a looked at her form in relief. I was glad I didn't accidentally scar her permanently, but I still felt like I owed her and Caleb for helping me learn about the potential within me. That's when I had made my choice.

Caleb was too busy with fiddling around with some strange device to notice me creeping towards his bag. I'm sure Lilly noticed, but her curiosity wouldn't let her intervene. I dug around in the bag for a minute before I spotted the object of my desire. The Pokéball didn't activate as soon as I touched it, much to my surprise and delight, and I was able to carry it over to Caleb, who still hadn't noticed that a supposed 'wild' Riolu had pilfered a pretty expensive device from its contents. I decided to fix this situation by chucking the ball at the back of his head, where it hit with a satisfying and painful sounding thud.

"OW, the hell!" He rubbed the back of his head and glared down at the little smirking Pokémon that just nailed him. "What was that for?"

I raised an eyebrow and nodded to the ground behind him. He looked down at my instruction and instantly froze at the sight of the empty Pokéball laying by his feet.

"A...Pokéball..." he muttered before returning his eyes to me, "does that mean..." my smirk turned into an honest smile and I nodded again. His face reflected pure joy as he pumped his fist in the air and raised his voice to the heavens.

Luckily we were the only ones in the center at the time, so he didn't make himself look like a complete idiot to a bunch of strangers. I chuckled at his reaction and watched him snatch the ball from the ground and hold it at me eye level. I nodded and reached out, poking the center button with my paw. The ball responded by suddenly popping open and covering me in a bright red light that seemed to pull me along with it.

Next thing I know, I was in a vast white plain that seemed to stretch on forever. It was kinda creepy, but I knew that I shouldn't fight it just cause I don't like it. I'm agreed to go with Caleb, and I ain't about to go back on my word. So I just waited until the pull I was feeling from the world around me cease, and was rewarded by a resounding ding that echoed in the vast white landscape, signaling my capture.

"No going back now" I chuckled and looked up at the vast empty sky, or what used to be the sky. I was pleasantly surprised to see the smiling face of Caleb looking down at me from the world outside of the ball. Then everything around me vanished before I was assaulted by colors once again. I guessed that Caleb must have released me from the ball so he could address me more personally.

"Riolu" I looked back to see my new trainer kneeling down before me to be eye-to-eye with me. It looked like tears were threatening to fall from his face, unable to contain his joy.

"I can't thank you enough, you have no idea how much this means to me" he started and put his hands on my shoulders, "the fact that someone as powerful as you would let someone like me be your trainer...it means the world to me."

His sincerity touched me heart and I couldn't help but wrap my arms around him in a hug. I don't know why I did it, its just something telling me that it was something I should do. He returned it immediately, his fingers digging into the fur on my back and his arms pulling me close against him in a brotherly hug.

"Now before I forget" he pulled back and looked me dead in the eyes, "I can't keep calling you Riolu now can I, you need your own name." He lifted a hand to his chin and rubbed it thoughtfully while he did his best to come up with a name off the fly.

'Can't wait to hear this' I decided that it was just easier to let him name me than go through the hassle of trying to tell him my real one, I just hope he chooses something good.

"Oh, I know, how about Aaron" he suggested confidently. I sweat-dropped before shrugging and giving him a nod in confirmation. Not the most original name ever, but E for effort bud.

"Alright then, its official," he raised his fist towards me and looked at me expectantly, "welcome to the team Aaron."

I chuckled and bumped his fist lightly, solidifying my place as a friend and new member of his team.

 **Remember to leave your reviews and faves, I cherish them dearly.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Its me, your beloved bigshot, here once again with 'Fabled World'. In the last chapter, our favorite little Riolu had finally joined Caleb on his journey across Kalos. How will this turn out for our protagonist, find out in chapter 3.**

 **Note: I know I sound like some pompous asshole(at least to myself) in my comments, I just can't help it.**

Its been about two days since I agreed to join Caleb on his journey and I was kinda glad I did. The kid treated us very well and never made us train more than we could handle. He seemed to be able to tell when we reached our limits when it came to his sessions and always made us stop to make sure we were doing okay. I also learned that I knew four moves(Force Palm, Quick Attack, Close Combat, and Blaze Kick) thanks to his little device he called a Pokédex. The blaze kick actually surprised us and brought a little twinkle to Caleb's eye.

I saw why Lilly liked him to, the guy was actually pretty funny and carefree, but turned deadly serious when it came to battles or one of us getting injured. The stress still got to him pretty easily, but he started working on it when I let him know about it.

Right now I was helping him with his breathing exercises to help alleviate his anxiety.

"Deep breaths...in...out" I instructed in my own language, rhythmically controlling my breathing as an example for Caleb. We were both sitting in the middle of the battle field behind the pokecenter with us facing each other, legs crossed.

"In," he breathed in deeply through his nose and held it for a second, "out" he released the breath calmly and repeated the process a few more times while I watched him carefully.

"Why are you making me do this?" He asked, clearly getting impatient. I simply kept my hard stare on him, making him eventually quiver under my unwavering gaze, "ok, ok."

He closed his eyes and resumed his breathing exercises while I made my way over to the opposite side of the field.

"UP!" the authority in my voice startled him and he instantly locked eyes with me. I repeated myself and pointed up with my paw. He was quick to do as I commanded and followed my directions to his side of the field. I got into a fighting stance while he pulled Lilly from his belt.

"Lilly, your up!" he tossed the ball high in the air and out came the adorable little Fennekin, already in her fighting stance. I smirked, narrowing my eyes, and flexed my paw tauntingly.

"Start off with Quick Attack!" she easily obeyed the command and charged towards me at breakneck speed. I gained a lot of speed during our training sessions, so it was actually quite easy to sidestep the attack. I retaliated with a weakened blaze kick that sent her flying back towards her trainer.

The sweat was already starting to stream down his face. I tisked in disapproval and fixed him a hard glare. He cringed, but thankfully he got what I was trying to do and relaxed his stance, taking deep breaths.

"Flamethrower!" he yelled confidently. The new fire in his eyes matched the flame's that Lilly had released in my direction.

"Uh-oh" I was barely able to jump out of the way in time, the flames managing to singe the tip of my tail. I quickly speed towards them with a force palm at the ready.

"Dodge it and use Flamethrower!" she gracefully dodged my attack by jumping up over me and I could only look up at the flames tickling her fangs in horror. I was too close to dodge this time and braced myself against the encroaching inferno.

'This is gonna hurt' was my only thought before the searing heat enveloped me, causing me an immense amount of pain and knocking me right off my feet. I rolled back from my position before getting my paws to the dirt and doing a few backflips to distance myself from her.

"That a girl Lilly, nice job!" Caleb congratulated, earning a happy yip from her.

"Nice hit foxy, that stung a bit," I chuckled and cracked my neck. I shot towards her with Quick Attack and slammed into her before either of them could register what was happening and knocked her back. I followed up with a hard force palm that sent her into the sky, before crashing back to the dirt after a hard downward blaze kick. "But I it'll take more than that to take me down."

Caleb was visibly cringing at the sight of Lilly struggling to get back to her feet. "Lilly, can you still battle?"

"I'm not gonna stop now." She had determination, gotta give her that.

"Quick Attack, get in close" I stood my ground and let her slam into me. It knocked the wind from my lungs, but I successfully held my footing. I prepared to hit her with another Force Palm, but what happened next honestly surprised me.

The fox sank her teeth into my shoulder and released a Flamethrower, at Caleb's command, that burned ten times hotter than the last one, and I couldn't escape it with her grip on my shoulder. Her teeth held fast and the heat brought me to my knees as my pained yells tore through the air.

"That's enough, release him!" He was thankfully merciful and the heat had disappeared, allowing me to support myself with a paw.

"Congratulations...you two" I panted while giving them a pained smile, " you win."

It took her a minute to process what I just said, but when she did, she couldn't contain her shout of pure joy, quickly running back towards Caleb and running circles around him. I kept my smile as I slowly rose to my feet with a grunt. I was immensely proud of them, they had finally managed to beat me in a battle.

"Haha, we actually won!" they cheered in unison while Caleb was holding Lilly at arms length and spun around merrily.

"I'm proud of both of you, you finally started to think on your feet, as a team." I knew that only one of them actually understood me, but I said it anyway. He got the jist though and was quick to make his way towards me and wrap me up in a hug.

"Thanks Aaron, I finally understood why you made me do all those exercises" he started and put his hands on my shoulders, "I could actually focus and plan ahead, the stress didn't get to me and we were able to win because of it, thank you." I smiled and nodded, which I instantly regretted it.

I bit back a yelp when pain shot through my shoulder and I rubbed the spot to alleviate the burning in my shoulder.

"Hold on bud, let me take a look" he nudged my paw away and looked over the injury like Nurse Joy usually did. He lightly ran his fingers through the short blue fur, inspecting it meticulously and with great care, as to not cause me any discomfort. "Pretty bad burn you got, sorry about that, let's get that healed up real quick huh."

He actually went through his bag and pulled out one of his burn heals to heal me, despite the Pokémon Center being literally steps away. I was kinda touched that he did it, and he's not stupid, he knew it was there. He was showing me how much he appreciated me being a part of his team, and that made me respect him all the more.

"So…do you think were ready?" I knew why he was asking that question. Shortly after my capture, I was informed that we would be challenging someone named Viola for something called the bug badge. These were apparently a crucial factor in his journey to the Pokémon League.

I shrugged in response and looking glanced at Lilly out of the corner of my eye. Her power and speed had significantly improved since our first battle. She actually made me struggle to win now, and while I wasn't exactly champion level, I was still pretty good seeing as how I'm still getting used to this body.

"Thanks for the confidence boost" he deadpanned while he rubbed the ointment through my fur, the soothing substance numbing the spot and taking away the burn.

"Not gonna promise a win bud" I stepped back and pushed my paw towards him, "but I still say let's go for it." He smiled and bumped his fist with mine.

"Your right, we still gotta try." He smiled and stepped back before telling Lilly to sit beside me while he stood there, arms crossed. "Now I do know her strategy thanks to a friend of mine who already challenged the gym."

'Good, least we ain't flying blind.' Hopefully he came up with something to counteract this Viola's fighting style.

"She uses bug types like a Surskit that can move around the field pretty quickly" he began. That shouldn't be to much of a problem, I can keep up with it easy. "They also use Ice Beam to freeze the field, Surskit gets faster and gives us a huge problem."

'Ice Field huh' I couldn't help the smirk that came to my face. I had the perfect counter to anything ice.

"Not a problem" I lit my feet up with a blaze kick. It would be difficult, but I think I could hold it long enough to at least deal with Surskit.

"Aaron you're a genious!" he smiled before taking the serious expression again, "But even if we take it down, she's still got a Vivillion that can use Stun Spore."

"That will be a big problem if it paralyzes us" Lilly stated while she turned her attention to me.

"Yeah, that's a problem" I hoped Caleb had some way to get around that.

"There's no way to protect from the Stun Spore" never mind "but that's all we gotta worry about really, their Gust is strong, but Aaron should be able to hold his ground." I raised a brow and tilted my head towards Lilly.

"I'm hoping that you'll be able to weaken Vivillion before sending Lilly out, her Scratch should give her plenty of traction, but I'm hoping I won't even have to use her, no offence Lilly." He apologized when he saw the sad pout on the fox's snout.

'Were not doing it today I hope.'

"Today though, I'm ending training early" I swear this guy was reading my mind. "Come on you two, Lily hasn't had a bath in almost a week, and I don't even want to know when you cleaned yourself last Aaron."

'Ouch, my feelings' I mentally laughed while shaking my head. The guy had a point though, I could faintly smell the light muskiness of my fur, and something akin to smoke from constantly battling with a fire type.

The Centers, it seemed, also doubled as a free boarding house for trainers. At least I knew we wouldn't be forced to rough it if we were broke. It was a very nice room too, kinda furnished like a stereotypical hotel room. A twin sized bed, small TV, small kitchen, and a full sized bathroom, not too shabby.

"Nice place, better than I expected" Caleb said after throwing his pack down on the kitchen counter and moving to the bathroom. "Give me a sec you guys" he left me and Lilly alone in the room for a minute while I presumed he was getting the bath ready from the sounds of a heavy water flow.

"I still can't believe we beat you Alex" Lilly said while we sat on the bed together. I tilted my head and gave her a confused look.

"Why, I'm not really that strong." I started, wanting to give her a true reassurance in her abilities. "You and Caleb just needed to learn how to work together better."

"But still-" I stopped her with a paw. I knew what she was gonna say, and I was having none of it.

"Lilly, stop doubting yourself, I imagine that your much more experienced than me. Your attacks hurt when they hit, so that proves your strong. The only reason you two lost was because I was fighting off of instinct, you had to listen to Caleb. You saw what happened when you worked together, you're a lot stronger than me Lilly, remember that." I finished my little speech and I swear I caught a blush form along her snout, but I didn't mention it. "And call me Aaron, that's the new name after all."

She was quiet for a minute, simply staring at me with that cute little smile of hers. She must have been contemplating my words and I hoped she took them to heart, she needed to believe in herself, that's what I planned on making her realize.

"Thank you…Aaron" she whispered and nuzzled me softly. I didn't mind much, thinking that this was her way of giving me a hug since she lacked arms to do so.

"Okay you two, I got the bath ready" Caleb announced before peeking out the door so we could see him. "Lilly, your going first since the waters a little too hot for you Aaron, I'll come in and get you when it cools down enough, k?"

I barked in affirmation and gave him my best attempt at a thumbs-up while Lilly jumped from the bed and padded over to our trainer. This left me alone in the room, allowing me time to just simply relax and gather my thoughts. I still wondered about this transformation, but I tried not to focus on that, it would only serve to give me a headache. I questioned my adaptability to this body I had as well. I knew how to fight, but I don't remember how I knew.

'Feel like I should be referencing someone right now, Jason...something' this little thought brought on a new wave of questions. I felt like every situation I was in, I could relate it to something, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out what they were. It was incredibly annoying and I think it was slowly driving me insane.

'Why did I have to lose only a few parts of my memory, why not simply leave me name, not a freaking half built jigsaw puzzle...wait...what's a jigsaw puzzle...dammit' I shook my head to try and clear away my thought before I growled in frustration. This crap was getting old, way to fast, and now I know it was going to drive me crazy until I put them everything back together again. Thankfully I was saved by Caleb, who had come in to fetch me for my bath, and kept me distracted long enough for me to collect my thoughts once more.

The bath was kinda awkward for me though. I thought that he would have left me to my own devices since I was a biped, but he insisted on cleaning me himself. I didn't really feel like trying to talk him out of it, I was too enraptured in the soothing comfort that the warm water brought as it soaked through my fur. Caleb's fingers, despite him being a guy, felt very good as they dug into my coat with the shampoo to get out the dirt that had collected from out battles.

It was over much sooner than I had liked to admit, but I didn't protest when he lifted me from the water onto a towel to stop me from soaking the floor, and drying me off with another.

"There we go, all cleaned up, how do you feel bud?" I yipped happily, something I never even realized I did, and voiced my appreciation for his care. "No problem, just doing my duty as a trainer."

'Don't be getting humble on me' I thought before walking back into the room and leaned on the bed post while I waited for Caleb. I didn't have to wait long thankfully and watched him go about his routine before getting ready for bed. He was soon clad in only a pair of boxers and an undershirt, presumably his nightwear, with a familiar Pokéball in his hand.

"You got two choices Aaron, Pokéball, or out here with me" I held up both of my paws to signal the second option and he nodded, putting the ball onto the nightstand and crawling under the covers of that soft-looking mattress.

'Guess Lilly went with option A.'

I decided to follow him up and curled up next to him, him responding by laying a hand on my side and lightly running his fingers through my soft and, much cleaner, fur. I don't know why I wanted to sleep so close to him, maybe it was the ball pulling me towards him, I didn't know. I do know one thing, Caleb was like a brother to me, maybe that was it, I wanted to protect him like a guardian. I still remembered how my big brother used to act the same way with me, I guess it was happening too me to now.

'I'm looking into it too much, I'll figure it out later' I killed all thoughts of it, I didn't want to be tired for the battle tomorrow after all. So I resigned myself to the silence of the dark room and allowed my eyes to close for the last time tonight. I still felt Caleb petting me softly, and I'm glad I was somewhat comforting to him.

"Goodnight Aaron" I heard him say before the soothing pressure of his hand finally lulled me to a peaceful slumber, hoping that Caleb would be able to soon follow soot.

 **There you go people, the third chapter. Sorry about the battle scene and it length/quality, I never was good with writing battle scenes. I hope that this introduction to this story(I know, long intro) was at least on par with your standards. Feel free to voice your opinions and ask me question, they will help me improve my writing and make this story much more enjoyable. Also, send me any OC requests you got to, they'll probably end up in here somewhere.**

 **As always, remember to comment and fave, I will forever hold them dear.**

 **That's all I gotta say, Bigshot...out.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Welcome back you sexy bastards, how have you all been. Hope you all had a good day before deciding to take the time out of your day, or night, to come check out my writing.**

 **Finally at chapter 4, and out of the unofficial prologue of the story. Were now entering territory that I had never really entered before. I have no previous experience with battle scenes, so sorry if its not up to par with your standards.**

 **Then again, you don't really have to read it, but if you do and know how I could do it(or any of my writing) better, then feel free to shoot me a PM. Just please don't flame me, its not cool when you do that to me or any other writer. Most of us are trying our best and we don't need people shooting us in the foot with insults.**

 **I'm gonna stop talking now and let you judge my work.**

 **Disclaimer: you know all that legal crap, your smart people.**

"Finally, today's the day, you ready?" Caleb asked as we neared the Santalune City Gym to compete against Viola. The guy could barely contain his excitement and I couldn't help but smile at his attitude. He was acting like a kid who was truly happy doing something he always dreamed of. Then again, he most likely dreamed of becoming a trainer, being able to explore the world without adult supervision, I certainly would have done it.

"No doubt we'll get that badge, right Aaron" I grinned over at him and nodded my head in the affirmative.

"We got this" I said, pumping my fist confidently, earning a happy laugh from my human partner. The gym leaders of this region were supposed to be incredibly tough to beat, this made me about as happy as it made Caleb. I'm not sure why I was so eager to charge head first into battle with a creature with power beyond my belief, but the thrill of challenging such a strong opponent was something I just couldn't pass up.

We turned a corner and finally laid on our first hurdle in our journey, the Santalune Gym. The gym was fast approaching and I felt all of my muscles tense in a mix of anxiety and nervousness. Caleb must have noticed because he started rubbing my head after setting me down.

"No need to be so nervous Aaron, we got this." I nodded without taking my eyes from the doors of the gym. From what I remembered, this was supposed to be a bug type gym, shouldn't pose too much of a problem, but I can't underestimate my opponent.

The decor definitely fit the description of a bug type gym. The large dirt battlefield was surrounded by trees and the ceiling was completely composed of glass. I kinda liked it, nice and spacious, plenty of room for a good battle.

"Welcome to the Santalune city gym" I heard a female voice say from close by. I looked around until I set my sights on a blonde woman with a large camera around her neck.

"Hello, are you Viola?" Caleb asked as the woman walked over to us.

"Yep, that's me, are you here to challenge my gym?" So she was then gym leader, not exactly what in was expecting, but hey, never judge a book by it's cover.

"Yes ma'am, I'm Caleb and I'd like to have a battle as soon as possible please" Caleb was getting excited again, and I could see the anticipation in his eyes. This caused Viola to let out a small laugh at his excitement.

"Then let's not waste anytime, but first" she grabbed her camera and brought it up to her chest "how about a picture to commemorate your first gym battle?" I blinked before turning to Caleb, who was looking back down at me with a smile.

"Sure thing" he then proceeded to pick me up and set me down on his shoulder. Viola smiled at the little show of trust and raised her camera up and focusing the lens before snapping a picture, capturing the moment for eternity.

"Perfect, thanks, now how about we get this show on the road huh?" this earned a nod from the teen before both trainers took their places on the field. A woman approached Viola and exchanged a few words before she came up the side of the field and stopped midway from either side of us.

"This battle will be between Gym Leader Viola and Caleb, the Challenger" she announced with a hand held up in the air. So she was the referee, kinda saw that coming. I had seen other people battle, and participated in a few myself, where someone announced the results and proclaimed the winner, should have known that something professional like this would be reffed.

"Come on out Surskit" Viola shouted as she pulled out a Pokéball and tossed it out, hitting the ground and releasing the Pokémon inside. The Pokémon resembled a cross between a water bug and a berry with that stem on the top of its head. It didn't really look all that threatening, but looks can deceive.

"Ready Aaron?" I nodded to Caleb and jumped from his shoulder before running onto the field to face my opponent.

"Caleb, since you're the challenger, you can have the first move." I felt Caleb tense slightly behind me, which was mimicked by me as I waited in anticipation for Caleb's order.

"Right, Aaron, used Quick Attack!" he commanded and I pushed myself forward and charged towards Surskit with the intent of ramming it.

"Dodge it and use ice beam!" The Surskit was much faster than I anticipated. It easily moved itself out of the way and I watched as it charged blue energy from its antenna.

'Ice Beam...already' I gritted my teeth as I was only able to watch it charge the attack and dodge it as it was finally released in my direction. I had evaded a direct hit, but immediately fell on my rear. The sight before me made me cringe.

The entire field was covered in ice. I cursed myself for not being quick enough to prevent it, but also that she had pulled it out this soon. I was hoping she wouldn't use it long enough to get in some damage while I still had decent footing. The Surskit though was having a absolute field day on the ice, skating around and happily cheering, it seemed to have no trouble with the ice terrain. I however was struggling to just stay on my feet, my paws slipping on the ice as soon as I placed them flat to the ground.

"Remember the plan Aaron!" Caleb shouted, prompting me to look questioningly in his direction. Then it hit me, I had a way to move around on this ice rink. I charged up a blaze kick in both my feet and was pleasantly surprised when the ice under my feet melted away instantly, leaving me plenty of hard dirt to grip to.

"Interesting" I heard Viola mutter and snap a picture. "Alright Surskit, use Water Pulse!"

"Use Quick Attack!" I rammed into the Surskit before it could release the water pulse, sending it sliding back with me chasing after it. "Follow up with Force Palm!" my energy covered paw made contact and slammed the bug into the dirt, shattering the ice and kicking up a cloud of dust. I jumped back, landing in front of Caleb and retaking my stance to continue the fight.

"Surskit!" Viola cried in worry and stared into the dust cloud. When it cleared, it showed the Surskit still standing on shaky legs. "Are you alright!?"

The Surskit gave its version of a nod and narrowed its eyes at me. I flexed my fingers and held my stance, returning its glare.

"Nice work Aaron, your doing great" Caleb encouraged. I looked back at him with a grin before turning back to put full attention on the bug.

"I'd have to agree with you on that, that Riolu sure is strong." Viola looked at me with a grin and snapped another picture of me.

"Enough talk, more battle!" I shouted while shuffling my paws restlessly. I was eager to keep going, the adrenaline adding even more to my already abundant stores of energy.

"Alright Aaron, calm down and use Quick Attack again."

'Finally, tired of waiting on you' I thought as I sped towards the opponent.

"Dodge it!" again, I was easily sidestepped and slid a little on the melting ice. "Bubble!" I couldn't move fast enough to get out of the way and the large bubbles made contact. It was a lot more painful than I had imagined a bunch of bubbles would have been and actually had enough power to knock me back a bit. I gritted my teeth as I planted my feet firmly and absorbed the attack before I heard Caleb call to me.

"Aaron, cross your arms and brace to minimize the damage." I did as commanded and crossed my arms in front of me so they took the brunt of the attack and endured the hit as best I could.

"How!?" Viola was utterly amazed that I could hold my ground against her attack and was unable to command her Pokémon while she was stuck in her stupor.

"Close Combat!" I launched a flurry of jabs and kicks at the bug, my kicks powered up by the Blaze Kick I had going, and finished off with a roundhouse kick that sent it skidding across the ground and leaving a dent in the dirt wherever it contacted the ground. The Surskit couldn't stand up to the barrage I hit it with and crashed to the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"Surskit is unable to battle, the winner is Aaron!" the ref called while she held her arm over our side of the field. Viola still looked shocked at how I battled, while Caleb was beyond happy at the outcome of the battle.

"Alright Aaron, you were totally awesome!" Caleb congratulated while he pumped his fist into the air. I gave him a smile and let out a tired breath. Having to hold that Blaze Kick during the battle was extremely exhausting and I was finally starting to feel the scorch marks over my legs. That move was meant for a quick and powerful attack, not a sustained move to help move around.

"Ahh!...that stings" I yelped, feeling like I was getting hit by Lilly's flamethrower continuously.

"Aaron, you feeling alright?" I wanted to keep battling, but I'm not gonna make the mistake of lying about an injury just to keep going so I shook my head to tell him no. He gestured for me to come back to him and looked over me. He bit his cheek when he saw the burn marks on my paws and lightly ran his fingers over my burnt paw pads.

"Some nasty burns bud, I don't think you need to battle anymore, leave it to me and Lilly ok." He smiled and rubbed my head before returning me to my ball till the battle was over. I wasn't to happy with his decision, but I wasn't about to argue over it with him.

The ball was a lot different from the last time I was in it. Last time, it was just a large blank space that went on and on into nothingness, now it was a vast forest landscape with a mountain range in the distance and a large lake in a clearing that I appeared in the middle of. It was actually quite beautiful and serene, giving me a sense of peace. I couldn't feel the pain in my feet from the burns and the energy I had lost during the battle seemed to flood back. I looked up at the sky, seeing the view of the battlefield and Caleb looking down at the ball fondly.

"Rest up bud, you earned it" he said and clipped my ball to his belt, away from the view of the battlefield. I was upset that I wouldn't be able to see Lilly battle, I wanted to see how well she progressed during training. I wasn't to upset about this situation though, since I'd be able to either congratulate or encourage her after the battle was done. Hopefully I wouldn't have to come out of this ball again during this battle, cause that would mean that Lilly would have been beaten.

'I hope she wins the battle, it would really help her self-esteem.' Its true that the girl had a problem with doubting herself. It broke my heart to see her question her worth on the team cause she was as strong, if not stronger than I was. It was kinda ironic really, she was such an adorable little thing, but she could shatter the whole cute defenseless act with a well aimed flamethrower.

The fact she controlled fire both confused and fascinated me. I remember always being drawn to flames in my past life. I still see little pictures of campfires and the warmth they had brought me whenever I look at the flame-colored fur coming from the large ears. Guess that's kinda why I liked being around her, but I knew that wasn't the only reason.

I know I was human before, but ever since I became a Riolu, it's a whole different ballgame here. I saw Lilly in a whole other light and it honestly frightened me a little. I was drawn by her looks, her personality, and her strange pyro skills. Maybe I was being a little selfish in the fact that I really mostly noticed how cute she was, but the way she acted and saw the world drew me to her.

"Heh…ex-human is falling in love with a Pokémon he just met…I'm just a love-struck idiot aren't I" I laughed at the thought that I was already falling for a girl I just met two days ago, and frankly it kinda scared me. Looks like I have my new instinct's to blame for this little conundrum, but I'm not gonna question it.

'Would only give me a headache anyway.'

' _At least you don't try and fight it like the others did.'_ I heard the voice from before say in my head.

"What the?" I looked around the area, searching through the trees for the source of the voice.

' _People like you make my life so much easier'_ I knew from the tone that the speaker was female and it sounded a little like a child's.

"Who's talking, show yourself!" I shouted and took a battle stance in the event that the speaker was hostile.

' _Now why would I do that and ruin all of the fun.'_ the voice said with a cute little giggle that actually frightened me a little. I growled in annoyance and heard the voice giggle again before it tried calming me down.

' _Easy boy, no need to get hostile, I'm just trying to have a little fun here'_ it said before I caught a small glimpse of something pink moving behind a tree in front of me. I instantly tensed when I saw that, my mind already pulling out all the information I needed to identify the owner of the voice.

"I always hated this bit, too cliché for my tastes." I heard her giggle again before I felt a presence appear behind me. It took every ounce of willpower I had not to yelp in surprise when a paw contacted my back and ran up along my spine.

"Yes, I should have known you would find no amusement in my games Alex, or is it Aaron now." She actually spoke this time, her voice carrying the same feminine, childish tone.

"I choose to go by the new name to go along with my new life." I answered without even turning around.

"This new life is with a boy named Caleb I believe, such a nice boy, little naïve and childish, but his heart is pure." She said, earning a small chuckle from me.

"Your one to talk about childishness Mew" I said before turning around to see a pink furred feline looking creature floating before me. Her crystal blue eyes looked into my own with amusement as she regarded me with another giggle.

"Good to see you know who I am Aaron, glad I gave you all that knowledge on Pokémon now, cuts down on explanation time." I narrowed my eyes hearing this.

"What do you mean...are you responsible for this?" I asked while holding up a paw towards her.

"Yep...I decided I'd help you out and give you another chance at life." Another chance, what did she mean by that.

"Another chance...what do you mean?" I asked, voicing my thoughts to the feline. She replied with another giggle and started floating straight up into the sky. "Wait! Come back!"

"Sorry, that's all the time we have today, tune in next time to find out what happens next!" she said with a spokesman like tone that greatly annoyed me. Next thing I knew, she had simply blinked out of existence. She had literally left without telling me anything of value.

"What…not even a freaking hint?" I shouted into the sky where the legendary had been only seconds prior. She must have known how annoying this would have been and, being a typical Mew, had decided this would have been the best way to get a laugh out of the situation. Why she had come in the first place, I have no clue, but at least she had left me with a little knowledge.

'She said she had been the one to give me knowledge of Pokémon, so does that mean she's the one who had turned me into one?' I wish she hadn't shown up and left me high-n-dry. I could spend hours thinking on this and come up with a reasonable conclusion, but I think she knew that I couldn't stand to assume without facts to back me up.

"Annoying little bugger" I growled before doing some breathing exercises to calm my nerves before I gave myself a migraine. I made a promise to myself right there that I wouldn't concern myself over Mew anymore for the rest of the day, leave it for another time. Right now I had some training to do, my speed and strength was lacking in today's battle, the Surskit should not have been able to dodge me so easily. I was also disappointed that a Quick Attack and Force Palm didn't KO or at least slow it down.

I was about to start my own little training session when my vision suddenly went black before I materialized in the real world. I wasn't in the gym so I knew I wasn't about to have to fight, and Caleb was with Lilly, both wearing prize winning smiles. I tilted my head in curiosity, but neither Caleb or Lilly said a word, he just pushed his closed fist towards me before showing me a small pendant that looked like the head of a bug with green eyes.

"We did it Aaron, we got the bug badge" Caleb told me while I smiled at them.

"You did it y'all, you proved your strength, I'm proud of both of you." I congratulated them and held my paw out to Caleb, giving him a fist bump.

"You'll have to tell me how it went later, I'm dying to hear about it." After I said that Caleb picked me up and put me on his shoulder and picked up Lilly, cradling her in his arms and started a slow walk across town.

"You missed quite a show Aaron, Lilly was absolutely amazing today." I poked his cheek and looked at him with an amused smile.

"Your fault I couldn't see it ya dingus." I said before turning my attention to Lilly. "I'm proud of you Lilly, you proved yourself today, great job." I smiled down at the Fennekin, who tried not to look at me to hide her blush.

"Aaron, Lilly, we finally did it. Our journey's officially begun, and tomorrow, were heading out of this city. I don't know the plan yet, I'll figure that out after a good rest." Caleb told us while he walked.

'Officially begins huh...truly ain't no going back now.' I had made a commitment to the guy, and I will follow through. I don't know what the future has in store, but I won't leave the guy hanging. He put his faith in me to protect and fight for him, and I refuse to let this guy down.

'I'll stick by your side Caleb...you have my word, I will get you to the Pokémon League.'

 **There you go, another chapter done, not my best work but I did what I could. I've never been particularly skilled at writing, but I still enjoy it, and I have fun writing these stories. I hope that you find enjoyment in reading my work. I'm not the best, not by a long shot, but I still feel happy when someone takes the time to read something I've made.**

 **Thanks for sticking around, even if it's not the best. And don't forget to leave your comments and your faves, cause knowing that you liked it brightens my day right up.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I've been hearing some comments that alerted me of things like grammatical errors and careless mistakes, and I have a legitimate excuse for the former. My accent will sometimes break through the story lines when their not supposed to. The latter, I have no excuse other than I slipped up at my job as a writer.**

 **It's every writers duty to try and give their readers quality work, and I failed that duty, for this I apologize. I will try to improve these errors in the future and hopefully give you all something that I can be even more proud of, thanks for taking the time to read this and the story everyone.**

 **Disclaimer: Nintendo, copyright, other shit, there you go.**

I woke up the next day in the warm comfy bed that the pokecenter provided trainers. I didn't feel Caleb in the bed with me and opened my eyes to see my trainer with Lilly in his lap and a brush in his hand. He was combing through her thick furry tail, each stroke eliciting a satisfied purr from the fox Pokémon.

"What's going on?" I mumbled, wiping my eyes with a paw and letting out a tired yawn. Caleb looked back at me for a moment before returning his attention to his starter.

"Morning Aaron, sleep well?" he asked me without turning back around. I mumbled out something I didn't even understand before I rolled off the bed and landed on the floor with a hard thump.

"...ow" I groaned, but didn't make any motion to get up. I simply laid there for God knows how long with my eyes shut tight and my ears flat against my head. I was not a morning person, never was and never will be. I heard the giggling from above me, but I didn't even care, the only thing on my mind was getting just a little more sleep.

"You okay Aaron?" Lilly asked me after stifling her giggles.

"mmmm…" I groaned with my face still on the soft carpet floor. This got another giggle from her before she jumped down from the bed and nudging my face with her snout.

"Come on, it's time to get up." I cracked an eye open to look at her smiling face. How she was so happy in the morning, I had no idea. She visibly brightened at the fact that I actually acknowledged her and nudged me again.

"Ok ok, I'm up" I picked myself off of the floor, very slowly, and stumbled over to Caleb. I bumped into just about everything along the way to the human, much to his amusement, and finally reached him, planting a paw on his leg for support. I felt his hands come around my waist and pick me up to place me in his lap. I was about to question him about this, but promptly shut my mouth when something dug through my fur and ran down my back. The feeling it brought was beyond enjoyable and I couldn't stop a pleasured moan from escaping my muzzle.

I could hear Caleb laughing as I laid limp in his arms as he brushed me. I must have looked pretty comical to them, a Riolu with its eyes half-lidded and it tongue hanging out. It was over much sooner than I'd like, but I didn't complain, I'd never admit I liked being groomed.

"I already told Lilly the plan for today, but in case your wondering, were heading through route 4 towards Lumiose City." Caleb informed me while he started storing things in his bag. "We aren't challenging the gym there yet, but I planned on visiting Professor Sycamore at his lab."

"Professor Sycamore?" I directed the question to Lilly since she was the only one I could speak to.

"He's the Kalos regions leading Pokémon professor, and he's in charge of giving all beginning trainers their starters." She told me with a hint of admiration. I could tell that she greatly respected the man, this put me a little at ease.

"So he's the one that gave you to Caleb?" she nodded and walked over to Caleb, rubbing her head against his denim covered leg.

"Sycamore sent me and the other starters to Vaniville Town so we could start our journeys with the boys and girls that chose us as their first Pokémon. Caleb chose me while his friends chose the other two."

"Other two?" I got the concept of having three Pokémon to choose as starters, but I didn't know what those Pokémon were. I figured out that I first needed to know the name before the mental image popped into my head.

"The Kalos region has three Pokémon that trainers can choose as their starters. Fennekin, which is what I am, is the fire type starter while Froakie is the water type and Chespin is the grass type." She explained and jumped onto the bed and onto Caleb's shoulder after he put his bag on. He smiled and scratched behind her large ears while he made his way to the door with me following close behind.

"What are you two talking about?" Caleb asked after hearing our little conversation go on while he made his way out of the center and through the streets of Santalune.

"Nothing really important" I replied with a shrug, knowing he couldn't understand me. He sighed and stuck a hand in his pocket while the other help secure Lilly to his shoulder.

"Man I wish I could understand you guys sometimes." I had to agree with him on that. A basic understanding between a trainer and his Pokémon can be a dangerous combination. If it was possible, then the trainer could come up with strategies along with their Pokémon, this could lead to a much more efficient partnership.

'Not to mention saving me and Caleb from future headaches.' I sighed, now wishing the same thing as Caleb. That may never come to be though, so I didn't linger on it for too long, and neither did Caleb from the looks of it. His face held a determined expression as he kept his eyes forward and on his objective. I could feel his determined spirit and found myself actually tensing up as I received a small adrenaline boost from his attitude alone.

Maybe this is what it felt like to actually have a real goal in life. From what I remember I never had something like this happen to me. I was never given the chance to actually go out and see the world on a journey where anything could happen. This kid had that chance, he was out to prove himself to the world and he knew his future was ahead of him…and it was shining bright. I was brought out of my thoughts when I felt something else coming towards us, and it was coming fast.

"CALEB!" I heard someone yell before a young blond girl crashed into my trainer and held him in a tight hug. I thought Caleb was being attacked for a second and actually prepared to attack the girl, but all my worries disappeared when I heard the boy laughing as he struggled to break from her grip.

"Ashley, let go…can't…breath" he choked out as he was crushed by the now identified Ashley. She either didn't hear him, or chose not to acknowledge him, seeing as her hug tightened even more. Caleb was now actually chocking and I figured that it was time to save the guy.

"Hey, crazy lady, hands off my trainer!" I instantly regretted every decision I had ever made up to that point when I suddenly found myself to be the center of this girls attention.

"Oh my gosh, it's an actual Riolu!" She screamed and seized me in a death hug like she had given Caleb, who was actually trying to take me from the girl.

"Ash, your gonna hurt him" Caleb pleaded and wretched me from the girls grip. I instinctively held onto his arms as I cowered back from the blond. This seemed to sadden her as she pouted and tried to reach for me again, but Caleb shooed her hands away and held onto me protectively.

"You gotta be more careful around him Ash" Caleb told her while he slowly edged me towards the girl again, watching for any movements that he might not like. " He doesn't know you yet, and your scaring him." She looked hurt as she looked at me, her emerald irises filled with regret.

"Sorry, I just never thought I'd get to see a real Riolu, their my favorite Pokémon." Her tone was sorrowful and she looked to be near tears. I saw her hand slowly reaching out towards me and I tensed up, but didn't move. Her hand was shaky as it finally rested on my head and rubbed me softly. I didn't protest and even found myself leaning into her palm while she petted me.

I heard Caleb laughing as he pulled me back and set me on the ground, giving my head a pat of his own. He then looked up at the girl and began to talk to her like she was an old friend. They might have actually been friends that left on their journey at the same time like they did in the games back in my old world.

I decided not to disturb their conversation and took the time to examine the newcomer. She looked a little like Serena from the anime, but her hair was slightly darker and she wore no hat, her clothes were an exact match though. a dark gray tank top with a white collar, dark gray stockings, red skirt, black hi-tops, the whole ensemble. Kinda iconic really, little to much to be a coincidence if you ask me.

"So, where did you find a Riolu huh, I heard that their really rare to find in central Kalos?" I turned my attention to their conversation when I was mentioned. I was as curious as she was about him finding me, never receiving any actual information on the topic.

"I found him out in the woods near Santalune city" he looked down at me and picked me up, setting me on the shoulder that Lilly wasn't presently occupying. "He was in pretty bad shape when I came across him and I rushed him to the Pokémon center, and...that's about it, pretty simple actually."

'Eh, that really didn't help, but what are ya gonna do' I peeked over at Lilly when I felt her tail lightly stroking along my own comfortingly. She must have thought at the story would have bummed me out but to me it was just that, a story, nothing more than a telling of how I came into the life I had now with Caleb.

"Awww, you poor thing" Ashley looked at me sympathetically and began petting me again. She had the same mind set as Lilly it would seem. I didn't really let their concern bother me, but it still felt kinda weird being comforted by two females when I wasn't in need of it.

"It's fine, doesn't bother me much" I shrugged before hopping from his shoulder and walking over to the tree line, leaning against a tree trunk while I let them continue talking. Lilly was quick to do the same and took a seat next to me, letting a comfortable silence come between us while the two continued their conversation.

"It really doesn't bother you at all?" Lilly asked, finally shattering the silence we shared.

"Nope" I answered simply without even turning to look at her. She didn't ask anymore questions, but I could tell that she still worried over me. I figured out that the flames coming from her connected to what emotion she was feeling, like how her aura was a dark blue which correlated with concern. It took me awhile to learn how to master this little emotion sense, but it really came in handy since it worked both ways.

I concentrated on her emotions and used my own carefree attitude to manipulate hers, giving her a sense of peace. Some would say what I just did was wrong, since I basically just played with her emotions, but I couldn't stand to see her sad. I don't know why, but I just wanted her to be happy, no other emotion but pure joy, that's what I wanted her to experience all of her life. I knew this would never happen, but it made me that much happier to see her so at peace, even if for only a moment.

' _Help'_ my eyes shot open and my fur bristled when I heard that. It sounded like when Mew was talking to me in my head, but this voice was different. I looked around for a mjnute and tried listening for it again, but the voice never repeated itself so I thought it was just my imagination.

' _Help.'_

'There it is again.' I knew I heard something, it was a cry for help. I closed my eyes and scanned the forest around us, feeling for any emotions of distress. I picked up nothing of concern at first, but then I felt it.

Sadness, in its purest form, it actually broke my heart a little. I couldn't help myself from investigating the source of such great sadness and found myself wandering off into the forest towards the source of my most hated emotion.

"Aaron?" I heard Lilly call for me as my slow walked turned into a sprint. I had to find out what creature could be this miserable. "Aaron, where are you going!"

I didn't answer, I just kept running, for how long I don't know. I was nearing the being and soon found myself in a clearing. It was nothing special, just a small break in the tree line, but this is where I felt the extreme spike of emotions coming from. I scanned the forest again and saw the owner of the emotions hiding behind one of the trees. I slowly made my way around the tree, trying to not be too discrete so I wouldn't frighten it.

"Hello" I said after finally laying my eyes upon the being of my interests. A little Ralts looked back at me, its cheeks wet with tears. I felt fear replace sorrow as he scooted back when I approached.

"Its ok, I won't hurt you" I told it calmly, not wanting to scared it anymore than it already was. It was still hopelessly terrified of me, but took no action to escape.

"Who are you?" Its voice sounded male, much to my surprise, and calm despite its fear. I smiled comfortingly at the little Pokémon and kneeled in front of him.

"My names Aaron" I introduced myself and held out my paw towards him, "You don't have to be afraid of me."

He didn't do anything at first, his eyes watching my paw warily, and I took the time to examine his emotions. There was no way to pinpoint a single emotion as his were literally all over the place. Sadness, fear, intrigue, and even more that I couldn't quite place jumped out at me, then I felt the one emotion I wanted, hope. He was afraid, but he still braved his own emotions and softly took my paw in his small hand. I found myself smiling and giving the child as much comfort I could with my own emotions.

"What are you doing out here all alone?" I asked, not receiving a immediate answer. In fact he seems to get even sadder at the question and I found myself being hugged by a crying Ralts.

"My p-parents...t-the-their gone" he wailed, his voice muffled by my fur. I wrapped my arms around him, letting him continue crying his eyes out into my chest. He had gone too long without comfort, and he needed someone like me to be there for him.

"Shhh…its OK" I soothed, lightly rubbing his back as he cried.

"I'm all alone." His parent's were gone he said, meaning he truly was out here by himself. It broke my heart seeing someone so young be abandoned, he had no one to take care of him...until now.

"No your not, I'm here little one, your not alone anymore." He looked back up at me, his face soaked in tears. I couldn't see his eyes through his green hair, but I could sense his confusion.

"W-what?" he sniffled and I looked down at him with small smile. It wasn't right to leave a kid alone in the middle of the woods with no one to care for him.

"I can talk to my trainer and see to it that your never alone again." His mood remained unchanged for a minute before he finally comprehended what I was trying to tell him. When he did, I found myself in another hug with him balling into my chest. I couldn't sense the sadness anymore, no these were tears of relief and joy. He knew he wouldn't be alone anymore, he would have someone to care for him. While I knew I could never replace his parents, I would care for him like one.

"Thank you…big brother" this threw me off quite a bit.

'Big brother?' I asked myself. I had heard of children calling their comforters big brother or sister when they were going through times of great distress, but I never imagined I would be in that kind of situation. I actually found myself smiling at the thought.

"Yeah, big brothers here bud...its all gonna be ok." My ears flicked at the sound of distant footsteps coming towards us and I found myself hugging the Ralts tighter as I picked him up and carried him away from the clearing back towards the direction I came.

"Big brother?" I looked down at the kid with a kind smile.

"Yeah."

"What's your trainer like?" he asked, looking fearful once again. I was thankful that he wasn't completely against the idea of having a trainer. It makes my life so much easier, cause I didn't want to have to talk him into it, I don't have that kind of patience.

"Well, his names Caleb, and he's a really nice guy that treats us like family." I told him as I kept walking with him in my arms. Hope returned to his spirit when he heard my description of the trainer and he even looked happy.

"Do you think he'll think of me as family?" he asked me, making me chuckle at his innocent tone. He must have repressed the depression he felt before, because all I could feel from the Pokémon was happiness. It was heartwarming, seeing him so happy after what happened to him, I'm glad I found him when I did.

"AARON!" I heard a familiar voice call my name from the distance. Seems that Lilly told Caleb that I ran off without a word, they must have thought I ran away or something, boy were they gonna be surprised.

"OVER HERE!" I shouted back, hopefully catching their attention. I heard the footsteps closing in and felt Ralts hold onto me tighter. "Its alright, its just my trainer."

He looked up at me and nodded his head slowly, still looking terrified. It didn't take long for Caleb to come into view, Lilly and Ashley close behind, and he let out a relieved breath when he finally found me.

"Aaron, there you are, thank Arceus" he sighed before noticing what was in my arms. "What do you have there bud?"

I looked down at the feeling Pokémon with soft eyes and set him down, softly nudging him towards Caleb. "it's alright little guy, he won't hurt you, I promise."

Ralts hesitated before taking a tentative step forward. I looked at Caleb sharply, warning him not to move. He seemed to understand and slowly got down on a knee, holding his hand out to the small Pokémon like I did before. I nodded and let Ralts move at his pace, smiling softly at him whenever he turned back to look at me. After what felt like hours, he finally made it over to Caleb and hesitantly reaching out for the humans hand.

'There we go, your doing great' I said in my mind, making the Ralts pause for a second before holding onto Caleb's hand with his own. This got both of us to smile, me with pride and him with joy.

"Hey there little guy, I'm Caleb" the boy greeted the Pokémon, his smile still holding. He was letting off a strong sense of joy that seemed to affect Ralts, making his emotions mirror our own. That's when I remembered that Ralts can sense emotions much like Riolu can and were greatly affected by others around them. The calmness that Caleb was feeling must have caused the Ralts to feel happy and more comfortable around us.

"H-hi" he whispered, still nervous around the human, but at least he was talking to him. He looked he was about to cry again from all that's happened and I gestured to Caleb to do something. I watched as he slowly closed his hands around Ralts and pulled him into a hug. This brought another smile to my face as I watched the heartwarming scene.

Next thing I knew, he was crying again. I couldn't really blame the kid, his own parents were gone and all he had to comfort him were a couple strangers he'd never even met.

"Hey, its ok little guy, its alright" he looked at me confused. I just gestured for him to shut up and let the Pokémon cry and let out his pain. Thankfully he understood and held the Pokémon close to his chest. "Don't worry bud, just let it out."

He kept crying for a few more minutes until his sobs were reduced to sniffles and eventually ended entirely. I thought he had cried himself to sleep or something, but was proven wrong when he pushed himself off of Caleb's chest and walked back to me.

"I could feel his emotions...he seems like a very nice person" I smiled and wrapped an arm over his shoulder.

"He is...and you can go on his journey with him, and me of course" I started walking over to Caleb with Ralts and stopped before the still kneeling human. I gestured for him to grab a ball from his bag and quickly snatched it from him when he held it out. I placed the ball on the ground in front of Ralts and took my place next to my trainer.

Its completely up to you." Caleb agreed to my decision and stayed quiet while we watched Ralts look between the ball and us a few times before finally coming to a decision. He tapped the ball and was quickly sucked up into it and offered no resistance as the ball instantly clicked, confirming the capture.

"Ralts huh, that's pretty cool, nice find Aaron" Caleb said and patted my head, "he'll make a wonderful addition to the family."

"My thoughts exactly" I smiled at the ball as Caleb picked it up and held it tightly.

"Have to think of a name now won't we?" He grinned and put a finger to his chin. "Maybe...Lee, what do you think?" he asked me. I honestly liked the name but it wasn't up to me or Caleb. I gestured for him to release the Ralts from the ball so we could ask him what he thought. Said Ralts popped out in front of us with a happy smile on his face.

"I'm on the team now?" he asked with youthful excitement. I couldn't help but laugh at his question as I wrapped and arm around him.

"That's right, your on the team now Lee." I could see his smile falter a little as he regarded me with confusion.

"Lee?" he questioned.

"Yep, your on the team now, so you need a name, you like it?" My answer was a tackle as the Ralts hugged me tightly.

"I love it…I have a name" He cried joyfully, his voice muffled through my fur. I smiled and looked up at Caleb, who smiled right back at me.

"So it's settled, welcome to our little family Lee." Caleb cheered and was nearly knocked off his feet by a flying Lee that jumped from my arms to give the human another hug. I laughed at the extreme signs of family affection and watched the happy little Pokémon somehow crush Caleb with a hug.

'Welcome to our family...little brother.'

 **Now wasn't that just heartwarming. I love writing little family moment scenes like that.**

 **Now the team has Lee the Ralts and some stranger that seems to be friends with Caleb shows up. Who is she, you'll have to wait and see, time to test your patience.**

 **Don't worry, I'll explain everything in the next chapter. Till then, leave your reviews and favs(hopefully).**

 **This is the Bigshot saying goodnight, and good luck.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello again everyone, Bigshot here with another chapter. I'll be honest, I got nothing to report right now, so I'll just shut up and let y'all read in peace.**

 **Disclaimer: Do I really need to say it anymore**

'My God…its freaking huge' I thought as I stared at the bustling city in awe. I couldn't remember any cities from my world to compare it to, but I could safely say that it was bigger than anything I had ever seen in person before.

"Glorious isn't it?" Caleb said as he swept his hand around him, indicating to all of the city. I had to agree with him on his assumption. The city was very impressive and I found myself looking at everything from the small shops and boutiques, to the skyscrapers that were so high that I couldn't even see the top. What really caught my attention though was a large tower that resembled something from my world, but I still couldn't place a finger...paw on it.

"Prism Tower...its a real eye catcher isn't it?" so that's what its called huh, Prism Tower. I feel like we would be visiting that tower in the future, it seemed important for some reason. "That tower is also the Lumiose City gym, but we can't challenge it yet." I was right on the money.

"Why not?" I tilted my head curiously, receiving a chuckle from how adorable it must have looked.

"That gym is a little out of our league right now, our next gym is going to be the Cyllage City Gym." He answered, almost like he understood me, and patted my head. I shrugged and went back to watching the people mull about in their daily routine. They actually looked pretty laid back compared to what I thought people in the city would be like. I imagined that the city would be much more hectic, but I'm glad it wasn't cause it would just stress me out.

I wasn't a fan of crowds, but I really didn't want to go into the Pokéball and miss out on exploring somewhere new. Lilly had a different opinion though and basically begged to be put back in her ball to avoid the crowds and noises of Lumiose. I suggested that Lee should do the same since the unfamiliar surroundings might have terrified the little one foot Ralts.

"Oh my Arceus!...look at this!" I heard Ashley nearly squeal. I had forgot to mention that Caleb's friend was joining us on our journey now. Apparently those two had been friends since they were just little kids back in Vaniville. She was a little over excitable and impulsive, but she was alright and I didn't mind her coming along with.

"Ash" Caleb nearly groaned as we watched the girl run into a store selling life-size plushies of Pokémon. I still had memories of playing Pokémon when I was a child, and I saw a few plushies of Pokémon that I liked as a kid like Zorua and Shinx, but what really caught my attention was the one that Ash came out of the store with a few minutes later.

"Isn't it just adorable?" Me and Caleb simply stared at her, him in annoyance and me in astonishment. In her hands was an actual Riolu plush doll that looked exactly like me, size and all. "It's a Riolu, just like you Aaron."

I couldn't stop myself from reaching out for the doll and poking it with my paw a few times, "Weird" I muttered while slowly stepping away from the practical voodoo doll.

"Really Ash" Caleb deadpanned and pointed over at me, "you bought a doll when the real thing is right there."

"Yep" she answered simply and hugged the doll tightly to her chest, "because I can't hug and snuggle with Aaron like I can with little Ri."

I sweat dropped as I watched the girl crush the doll in a hug, humming happily as she rocked from side to side. It actually scared me a little, thinking that could have been me if she had found me. I found myself moving a little behind Caleb to make sure there was something between me and her, making him chuckle and scratch my ears softly.

"Its alright Aaron, I won't let that be you" he told me quietly and continued petting me while we waited for Ashley to quit chocking the inanimate object. "Ash, we have to go, Sycamore's waiting for us." He told her and kept walking, not knowing if she was actually even following us.

"Hey, wait up." She ran after us and kept up a conversation with her friend while I dozed off on his shoulder after he picked me up and began carrying me. I must have fallen asleep since I suddenly found myself surrounded by green tiled walls with Lilly laying down against me. I was surprised to find her out of her ball and pressed up against me while she slept. I felt someone's hand lightly rubbing my head as I leaned back on something warm, probably Caleb.

I wasn't really all that surprised, I usually woke up around him nowadays since I didn't really like going in my Pokéball. He didn't seem to mind though, in fact he seemed to enjoy being around me, always looking at me with that smile of his. I was glad that my presence made him happy and gladly let him pet me all he wanted. The feel of my fur seemed to calm him as each time he would pet or brush me, that calm blue aura would take over and give him a sense of peace.

"That's quite a story, I'm glad Aaron here saw you as a worthy trainer" I heard a voice say in a masculine tone, indicating that the owner was male. I hadn't heard this voice before , but I didn't deem him as a threat and feigned sleep to see what I could learn from them. I know it was technically eavesdropping, but it seemed that I couldn't help myself, maybe I had a habit of doing this in my past life.

"What do you mean?" I heard Caleb ask the man.

"Well, normally, Riolu and Lucario will test the trainer to see if they are worthy enough to catch them." The man began to explain and I could tell that his eyes were on me. "Those tests could range from how well a trainer and Pokémon battle, to how the trainer treats him team."

I felt a small spike in pride coming from Caleb, probably happy that I saw him as a worthy trainer. I guess that was kind of why I had chose to go with him, maybe my instincts took over and chose for me. I wasn't going to question it though, I chose Caleb cause he's someone I could trust and I'm leaving it at that.

"Huh...I didn't know that he was testing me...I just did what I always did" he said as I felt him looking down at me with pride and joy.

"That's what he wanted you to do, Riolu are a lot smarter than most people think" the stranger said before I felt another hand lightly rubbing my head alongside Caleb's. I chose to open my eyes at that moment, letting them know I was awake.

"Welcome back, have a nice nap? " The man chuckled, but I didn't answer, I just looked him over with a critical eye. I guessed he was some kind of scientist or researcher since he was wearing a lab coat along with a dark blue shirt underneath. His hair was raven black and was really messy with clumped strands hanging out in random places.

"Who are you?" I asked while I pointed at him with a paw. He smiled down at me kindly and pulled his hand away from my head and took a few steps back.

"Where are my manners, I'm Professor Sycamore, head Pokémon researcher for the Kalos region" he introduces himself with pride in his tone. I could tell he was very happy with his job since he held not a hint of exhaustion like someone would have if they hated what they do for a living. His aura was also a pure white, reflecting kindness and compassion that put me at ease and let me know I could trust him.

"He's the one who gave me Lilly here" at the mention of her name, the Fennekin opened her eyes with a yawn and looked around for a minute before her sights set on the professor. It took her mind a minute to register, but her brain finally caught up as she jumped into the mans arms.

"PROFESSOR!" she excitedly yipped as she nuzzled the professor while he held her in his arms. Sycamore laughed while he hugged the fox that was still happily licking and nuzzling him.

"Hello Lilly, it's been quite awhile hasn't it?" He cradled the fox to his chest and scratched her belly, making her squeal in delight.

"DADDY STOP!...THAT TICKLES!" she gasped out through her fits of laughter. My eyes widened in surprise after hearing how she addressed the professor.

'Daddy?...huh, alright then.' I shrugged and watched the little reunion with a smile. I liked it when she was happy, her smile was cute and her laugh was adorable. I knew I had somehow developed a small crush on the Fennekin, despite being a Pokémon for less than a week. Technically it wasn't wrong of me to feel this way, I'll admit that it might have been just a little strange though. 'Again, not gonna question it.'

"Aaron, you ok" Caleb lightly shook me, causing me to shake my head and turn from the professor to see him looking back at me with concern, "you look a little out of it."

"I'm fine" I waved off his concern with a paw and hopped off his lap so I could go over to Lilly and the professor, who were still playing with each other happily. I quickly found myself on the floor when Lilly suddenly tackled me and started nuzzling me playfully.

"Come on Aaron, play with me and daddy." She helped me up and nudged me forward with each word, and I soon found myself at the professors feet with him looking down at me with amusement written on his face.

"You get used to it" he chuckled and went to sit down, making the playful fox pout at the sudden end of her playtime. I smiled and wrapped an arm around her neck.

"It's alright Lilly, we can play another time" she turned to me with hopeful eyes, her sadness completely gone.

"Promise?" I laughed and I rubbed her head with a paw.

"Promise" her eyes shined and I found myself on the floor again while Lilly nuzzled me.

"YAAAY!" she cheered and jumped off me so she could start running around me while yipping joyfully. I heard everyone in the room laughing at her antics while I shook my head with a grin. After I finally got her settled down, we took a seat on the large couch between Caleb and Ashley while the professor relaxed in the chair across from us.

"Now I bet your wondering why I asked you to go on a journey through Kalos" Sycamore began, getting all of our attention as we regarded him with interest.

"Its because you wanted us to complete the Pokédex right?" Ashley asked, receiving a small nod from Sycamore.

"Yes, that is one of the reasons, but I truly sent you out into Kalos so you could discover your dreams alongside your Pokemon." He smiled as he looked at us proudly, "I have sent many trainers out into the region so they could learn and bond with Pokémon, and while I admit that some of the one's I send out make me later regret my decision, I won't stop doing it because there's a few bad apples in the bunch."

I felt Caleb grab hold of me again, along with Lilly, and place us both back in his lap so he could hold us close to his side like you would a brother or sister. I felt joy, pride, and contentment coming from him as he hugged us securely and protectively. The sight brought a smile to the professors face as his own pride flared out.

"I'm glad to see that I made the right choice with you Caleb, your Pokémon seem to trust you a great deal, and from the looks of Aarons wagging tail, you must make them very happy." I quickly grabbed my rowdy tail to stop it from moving along on its own, receiving a laugh from everyone in the room. I blushed as I held the appendage in front of me, covering my face to try and hide myself from my own embarrassment.

"I'm just doing what comes natural professor, I always loved Pokémon and dreamed of getting my very own someday so I could start my own adventure, now I have three new friends to come along with me." Sycamore was overjoyed to hear that, but also looked a little confused.

"Three, but I only see two, and you never mentioned a third." Caleb smiled and reached into his bag to pull out Lee's ball.

"Sorry professor, Aaron found him out alone in the woods yesterday, he's a little shy so I didn't want to bring him out into an area he didn't know with people he'd never met before until he was more comfortable around us first." Sycamore nodded and waved off Caleb's apology.

"Its quite alright, I completely understand your reasoning behind your decision, but I must ask what it is."

"He's a Ralts" he answered simply and pocketed Lee's ball. Sycamore seemed to actually get a little twinkle in his eye when he heard what species Lee was.

"A Ralts huh...I believe that is a species that can mega-evolve" this instantly caught everyone's attention.

"Mega-evolve?" Caleb asked, completely clueless. Sycamore nodded, rising from his chair and walking over to a large desk on the other side of the room. He dug in the drawers for a few seconds before heading back to us and holding a closed palm out to Caleb. The boy, still totally lost, held his hand out under the professors so he could drop whatever he was holding in Caleb's open palm.

"What is this?" He asked as we both examined the object with extreme curiosity. The thing looked like a marble that gave off a eerie orange light that was only contrasted by a small strand shaped, rainbow colored sign in the middle.

"That my friend, is a mega-stone." I couldn't take my eyes off of it and even found myself reading out towards it before I caught myself and forced my arm back to my side. "You see, when the bond grows between Pokémon and trainer, the power locked within both of them begins to awaken and store itself inside their respective hosts. Neither human, nor Pokémon can simply bring this power forth whenever they wish. The trainer and their Pokémon must trust and believe in each other without a shadow of a doubt, but even then it is nearly impossible to use this energy."

"And that's where the mega-stone come in right?" Caleb asked, receiving a nod.

"Very astute observation Caleb." He complimented and went back to his explanation, "You would be correct in saying that the mega-stone plays a crucial part in mega-evolution, but it's still missing an important factor. In order for their inner power to be unlocked, they would need both a keystone and a mega-stone in order to complete the connection and tap into their hidden power."

"But Professor, what exactly is mega-evolution?" the man regarded Caleb for a second before a small smirk graced his visage.

"Mega-evolution is when a trainer and their Pokemon's hearts truly become one, and their inner power is finally used to go beyond evolution itself." My jaw dropped almost to the floor. I knew that evolution was supposed to give you an extreme boost in power and unlock a Pokemon's true potential(thank you Mew), but going beyond evolution...that soared way over my head.

"Beyond evolution!" me and Caleb exclaimed at the same time.

"Yes, when a Pokémon reaches its final evolved form, it may have the ability to mega-evolve. This would give it a temporary spike in all of its attributes and make it quite a fearsome opponent." Now it was Caleb's turn to jaw drop after he finally understood what mega-evolution really was. "There are many Pokémon that could mega-evolve, including Gallade, Mawile, and even Lucario."

"Lucario!" I tilted my head questioningly. I would be able to do this miraculous mega-evolution and go beyond my normal boundaries...that's amazing.

"Wow, you hear that Aaron, you can mega-evolve after you become a Lucario, isn't that just awesome!" Caleb was beyond thrilled to hear what I would be capable of and I couldn't help but cheer alongside him.

"I see your both very excited to hear that, and since I have no need for it at the moment, why don't you keep that mega-stone." We both stopped our little unnecessary celebration and stared at the professor in surprise.

"Keep it, but I wouldn't think that this was easy to come by, why give it to us?" Sycamore smiled and moved to close Caleb's fingers around the stone.

"Because this is my gift to you Caleb, this stone is known as Lucarionite, Lucario's mega-stone." He explained and pushed Caleb's hand back to its owner.

'My stone' no wonder I was so drawn to it, it was calling out to me because I would become Lucario. I needed that stone to mega-evolve, and my instincts told me to reach out and hold the stone close to me so I could keep it for when I did evolve. It all made since now...at least I wasn't going crazy...wait...I already am.

"Professor...I-I don't know what to say" he held a hand up and grinned at Caleb.

"Then don't say anything, only promise me that when you and Aaron can mega-evolve, you give me a call so I can see it for myself." Caleb stared at the man for what felt like hours, his emotions all over the place. Eventually he settled on one lone emotion, pure joy.

"Of course Professor, I promise that when Aaron mega-evolves, you'll be the first to know" Sycamore kept on smiling as he backed away and held his hands to his hips.

"That's all I wanted to hear, now get on out there and explore Kalos, spend time with friends and experience the world of Pokémon in your own way" He urged with a smile and flick of his wrist, practically sending Caleb flying out the door with unbridled excitement.

"Of course, thank you Professor, now come on guys, I have a promise to keep."

"Ok ok, slow down, we don't have to rush." I deadpanned at her comment. She was seriously being the calm one right now.

'The end of the world is nigh.' I joked with a shake of my head and followed after everyone out the door and back into the hustle and bustle of Lumiose City.

 **Pretty good to me, what did y'all think. Tell me please, I don't wanna sound like a broken record here, but please leave a review, PM me, or hopefully even fave me.**

 **I'll get another chapter up soon, till then I hope you all have a wonderful day, or night.**

 **Chow.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello again everyone, hope y'all are having a good day or night. Welcome back to my second attempt at an actual multi-chapter story. In this chapter, I'm focusing mostly on the more romantic side of things, developing the relationship between our ex-human Riolu and adorable little Fennekin. Gotta say I've always been a fan of this couple, or as I like to call it, the true flamingaura ship.**

 **Disclaimer: Screw Nintendo and their copyright...we all know who owns Pokémon.**

"Alright, hit me with Confusion again" I ordered as I tensed up in preparation as Lee concentrated his power. We wanted to see how well he would do in battle, but first we had to know what we were working with. What better way to test how strong someone is than using a live target.

"Now...release!" Caleb ordered and a small physic beam shot forward and hit me hard. I was knocked off my feet as I let out a cry in both shock and pain. He was definitely no pushover when it came to his power, so we wouldn't have to worry about that.

"Nice one kid" I complimented and jumped to my feet while wearing a proud look. Lee didn't say anything as he tried to hide his blush from my words. He was still kind of timid around everyone, but he was slowly opening up, you just had to have patience with him.

"Wow Lee, you sure pack a punch don't you." Caleb laughed as he kneeled down to pat the Ralts lightly. His blush seemed to get twice as dark as he was complimented by the two of us, perhaps he wasn't used to anyone saying those kinds of things to him. That actually broke my heart a little, to think that someone would abandon someone so young, or be forcefully taken away from their own family. It made me pretty sad just thinking about it, to which I mentally cursed and reigned in my emotions.

I couldn't let negative emotions take over, its not good for Lee and will only make Caleb worry about me again. I could hide it from my trainer, but Lee was an entirely different story since he was literally called the emotion Pokémon. He would be able to tell that I'm sad and question me about the source of my discomfort, but I don't want to remind him of his parents right now.

"EVERYONE, LUNCH IS READY!" I heard someone shout and looked to see Ashley waving us down to the small picnic table we had found in the middle of the route. I forgot to mention that, to my great disappointment, we didn't stay in Lumiose city for long. We were only passing through is what I was told and only stayed long enough to visit the stores and get a few items for the road like food and potions. I was really bummed that we left so soon, but I was assured that we would be coming back in the future.

"You heard the lady, let's eat" Caleb practically sprinted to the table that held food I had never seen before except rice and certain vegetables. I guess this world and mine are very different in terms of culinary arts, but I didn't really remember any food from my world. I also saw Lilly charging towards a metal bowl next to the table that held familiar looking brown pellets that looked like the Pokémon food.

'I still gotta eat like a dog...wait...what's a dog...dammit!" I shook the thought from my head before I gave myself another headache. I instead focused on the food in the bowl before me, eyeing it warily. It's not that I didn't like the taste, I just didn't like the fact I couldn't eat how I used to. I guess someone thought they'd get a kick out of leaving only memories of Pokémon and freaking table manners.

"Is something wrong big brother?" I heard Lee ask as he stepped up beside me. I looked down to see his concerned gaze locked onto me. I smiled and patted his head to assure him I was fine before sitting down by the bowl.

"Don't worry about me bud, I'm just fine, now eat up." I told him and started digging into my share of the bowl. I felt his eyes bearing down on me and the disbelief was highly evident in his emotions. I knew that it was extremely difficult to lie to Ralts, but I couldn't tell him what was really bothering me. Telling anyone, human or Pokémon, that I was a human turned Riolu would not go over well. They would most likely think I was crazy or just lying to get attention so I thought it best to keep it a secret.

'Gotta focus on the present, figure things out later' I told myself while I watched Caleb and Ashley converse over their own meal. I wasn't particularly interested in the conversation, but there wasn't really anything else to look at. Thankfully I was given something else to concentrate on when Lilly padded up next to me and nudged me with her snout.

"Can you go on a walk with me?" she asked sweetly with little puppy dog eyes. She really didn't have to ask twice, seeing as how there was little else for me to do, plus I'd be able to spend time with the pretty little fox.

"Sure." I answered, popping the last pellet in my mouth and following her off into the woods.

"Were heading out for a bit" She called back at our trainer, receiving a wave and him telling us to come back in about an hour.

"You go out like this a lot?" I asked her after we got a good distance away from the others. I had guessed that she regularly went out on her own after seeing Caleb's unconcerned reaction at seeing us go off like we did.

"Yeah, Caleb is always trying to either talk me out of it or come along with me." She sighed and took a seat next to one of the trees. "The only reason he didn't throw a fit this time is because he saw you coming with me...its like he doesn't trust me enough to let me go on my own."

I sensed that she was upset so I decided to rest my back against the same tree and tried my best to comfort her by gently grooming her tail with my paws.

"He's just worried about you, it's like a father trying to protect his child, he wants you to be safe." My words seemed to cheer her up a little as a small smile formed on her muzzle.

"I guess...did your father ever treat you like that?" the question made me frown slightly.

"I can't answer that cause I don't really remember my father" I said while I looked up at the sky as I tried to access my memories again, but I still received the same results as always, which was nothing but vague clips and pictures.

"Oh...sorry...I forgot" she muttered and I looked beside me to see her with her eyes cast down to the dirt, looking depressed. I smiled and lightly tugged on her orange ear fur to get her attention.

"Its alright Lilly, doesn't really bother me much anymore, just something I gotta deal with" I shrugged, trying to hold back any negative emotions. I found out that, while I can sense emotions, I also release my own if I'm not careful. Thankfully I was able to hold myself in check since she seemed to let the matter drop.

"I've been meaning to ask you something since we met the professor, you called him daddy, may I ask why?" Her somber attitude disappeared as her tail began wagging and a fond look appeared in her eyes.

"He was the first one I saw when I hatched. Newborn Pokémon imprint on the first one's we see so I always saw him as my father" she happily explained, making me smile seeing her in a better mood.

"Do you ever wonder about your real father?" She shrugged, or at least tried since she was a quadruped.

"I have once or twice, but I never really looked to far into it. I see Professor Sycamore as my real dad, and that's the way I like it." I wrapped my arm around her neck after hearing her answer.

"There ain't nothing wrong with that" I stated while I partially leaned on her, enjoying the silky softness of her fur. I worried that I might be crossing some sort of line, but she didn't seem to mind and even started nuzzling my neck in return. I couldn't stop the blush from forming on my face, but I didn't want to jump to conclusions. For all I knew, this was her way of returning affection in our currently platonic relationship, I had hoped it was more than that though.

"...Aaron?"

"Hmm?" I turned my eyes back to the girl as she looked down at ground with a blush on her snout. She looked like she wanted to say something, but she just couldn't figure out how to get it out. I tried reading her emotions, but her being was literally overloaded in mixed emotions. It actually made my head hurt and forced me to close the connection.

"I-I...I wanted to a-ask you something...I...I" she stuttered and rubbed her paw over her leg. I tightened my hold on her and smiled.

"Take your time" I told her calmly and started grooming her tail again. She was silent for a few more minutes before she turned her amber eyed gaze to meet my own ruby red.

"I...think I...well..." she took a deep breath and steeled her nerves.

"Come on, you can do it" I encouraged and patiently waited for her.

"I...think I'm starting to like you" she finally blurted out, that blush rivaling my own irises. My eyes shot open wide and I had to bite my tongue to stifle my shout of joy.

"Ohh!...really now." I smiled and cupped her chin in my paw. "What makes you say that?"

"Well..." She started, her eyes locked with mine, "your always kind, understanding, strong, and you always seem to know how to cheer me up when I'm sad."

I blushed at the compliments and rubbed the back of my head sheepishly.

"Well gee, I don't know what to say." She smiled at my nervousness, knowing that she was feeling the same as me.

"I know we haven't really known each other very long, but I can't help but feel this way about you...just being near you makes my heart feel lighter." My blush intensified as she kept on with her confession.

"Lilly...I was kinda worried that you didn't feel the same and I couldn't gather up the courage to tell you, I didn't want to ruin our friendship by making some stupid mistake and jumping to conclusions." I took my arm from around her neck and rubbed my paws together, trying to figure out how to continue.

"I'll be honest with you...I've kinda liked you since I first laid eyes on you." I told her honestly and rubbed my arm with a paw like she had done earlier. She just smiled and nuzzled my neck again.

"Same here Aaron" she whispered, her muzzle still buried in my neck fur. We stayed that way for a few more minutes, simply enjoying each others company. Sadly though, we had to separate after our hour was up, we didn't want to make Caleb worry about us.

"Thanks for coming out here with me Aaron, its always better to be with someone that understands you." We both laughed at the double meaning. We still had a few minutes of alone time left and we planned to use it. By that I mean we were walking paw in paw, well...paw to neck seeing as how she needs all of hers. Right before we hit the campsite, Lilly lightly bit down on my paw to stop me.

"Aaron, are we like...a couple now?" she asked nervously. I smiled and cupped her cheeks in my paws.

"If you want to be sweetheart, we don't have to get real serious right away, we can keep it casual and see how we feel about each other in the future. Who knows, maybe we'll become more than just a couple."

"Like...mates?" I chuckled and kissed her softly on the nose.

"Maybe, we'll see how things work out" I answered, laughing again at her blush. "Now come on, let's not keep them waiting."

"You don't have to" I nearly bit my tongue to hold back a surprised yelp when Lee's voice hit my ears. Little bugger snuck up on us like a freaking ninja, pretty much scaring the crap out of me and Lilly, who was very unsuccessful at stopping herself from letting out a shriek in absolute terror.

"JESUS!...Lee, you scared the hell outta me" I gasped while holding a paw to my chest, over my rapidly beating heart. He looked proud at this little accomplishment, seeing as how its usually impossible to catch me off guard. I guess knowing how Lilly feels about me put my head up in the clouds, making me forget to focus my senses on my surroundings.

"I know, are you proud, you told me I had to work on my stealth skills for battles." I hated to admit it, but I did tell him to try moving more quietly so he could sneak up on his opponents. I had no idea I might have signed my own death warrant...kid almost gave me a heart attack.

"Yeah, good job bud, you really got me" I smiled and patted his head, "but I think you owe Lilly an apology."

Said fox was currently cowering behind me, her instincts still in the fight-or-flight response. I started petting her head softly to calm her down as Lee slowly walked up to her, as not to scare her any further. He looked genuinely sorry and I think I caught a tear trailing down his eye.

'Must not like knowing he could have hurt someone besides me.' He knew I could handle his little jump scares, but I also told him not to scare any of the others for this express reason. That means he either felt bad for doing what he did, or just feared that I would punish him somehow...probably the former.

"Lilly, I'm sorry that I scared you like I did, please forgive me" he pleaded with a small bow.

"Its ok...just please...don't do that again" she replied after finally calming herself down and catching her breath. He perked up knowing she had forgiven him, before stiffening up when he caught my gaze.

"Peace Lee, I ain't mad attcha, no need to look so scared of me." I chuckled, patting his head again and sweeping the hair from his eyes. I had always been curious about what was under all that hair of his, but I never really thought about it until now.

What lied underneath was a truly amazing sight. His eyes were purple, a deep, beautiful color that I couldn't take my eyes off of.

"Whoa" that was literally all I could say, I was totally mesmerized by those violet irises.

"What...there just my eyes...and their not even the right color" he sighed and pulled his hair back over his eyes, breaking me from my trance like state.

"What do you mean their not the right color?" Lilly asked after finally calming down completely and reclaiming her place next to me.

"Their supposed to be red...like all Ralts" he pouted and dropped his head, seemingly saddened by his own words. I smiled and placed a comforting paw on his shoulder.

"So you want to be like all the other Ralts huh?" I asked, crouching down to his level.

"Yeah...I just want to be normal." I couldn't help but chuckle when he said that.

"Bud...none of us are normal, no one is normal. To be normal, each and every creature of that species would have to look and think exactly alike. I've learned that you've got to embrace your differences, cause that's what make you who you are." Not the best motivational speech around, but I think I did a decent job.

He reached one of his little hands up to his eye, likely trailing along the bottom of his eyelid. Finally, he looked back up at me, his hair swept out of the way to reveal those sparkling eyes of his.

"Your right big brother...how did you get so smart?" I shook my head and waved a paw off towards him.

"I'm no smarter than the average Riolu, I just have my own ways of seeing thing's, even if I don't remember half of them." I chuckled before nearly having another heart attack when I felt someone grab me by the waist and hoist me up into the air.

"And just where have you two been" Caleb asked with, what I could tell, a fake serious expression on his face. He did this a lot whenever I went against his "orders", which wasn't very often. I could see right past his little charade, but Lilly wasn't as perceptive as I was so she thought he was for real.

"Sorry Caleb" she apologized with her tail between her legs and her ears flat on her head. I had to hold back with all my strength to keep myself from jumping out of Caleb's grip and moving to comfort the scared little vixen. I still shot a small glare at my trainer, making him realize his mistake, and he put me down to calm his first Pokémon partner.

"I wasn't being serious, I'm sorry Lilly, didn't mean to scare you there" Caleb soothed, making him the second one today to apologize for scaring my new girlfriend. I couldn't hurt Lee because he was still too young to realize what he did wrong, Caleb though...well, let's just say, a quick smack to the back of the head can solve a lot of issues.

"Alright everyone, we need to be hitting the road again" our trainer informed is and pulled out both Lee's and Lilly's Pokéball while rubbing the spot where I hit him. He didn't pull out my ball since he never really put me in it after I let him know I didn't really like being in there all alone.

"I want to stay out here with Aaron" Lilly told him and moved a little behind me to hide from her Pokéball. She must have not realized what she had said, because a few seconds after she said it, here face pretty much burst into flames from the heat going to her cheeks(get it, fire type, heat...I'll shut up now).

"Don't want in your ball?" Caleb asked, somewhat surprised before he saw how close she was to me. Something must have clicked inside that head of his, because a small smirk graced his lips as he regarded the two of us. "Oh, I see...nice job Aaron, you got yourself quite a cutie."

I didn't think it was possible, but her face actually got redder from his comment, while I nearly doubled over in laughter. As punishments for this little lapse of better judgement, I promptly received a low powered flamethrower to my face. It wasn't extremely painful, but it still hurt quite a bit. When she finally finished pelting me with my most, and now least, favorite element, my head was covered in soot like one of the Pokémon anime's that, apparently, Mew let me remember.

"Ow" I muttered as Lilly walked past me with her nose high in the air while I just stood there, not even bothering to move. I shook the ash from my fur and went to help Caleb and Ashley pack up camp, which didn't really take long at all, before setting back down the path of Route 5, Lilly right at my side.

 **Cut and print, there you have it people, another chapter done. I hope everyone enjoyed reading that as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

 **What will happen between these two in the future huh, will they become more than just a uncommited couple, or will it crash and burn like my actual love life. You'll have to stick around to find out.**

 **Till next time, this is the Bigshot, over and out.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello again everyone, welcome back. I hope y'all are having a wonderful day or night.**

 **In the last chapter, I decided to get all lovey-dovey to hold true to my second category tag, and now that I've started, your going to be seeing a lot more of it from now on. Hope y'all are alright with that. Now enough of my yammering, on to the story.**

 **Disclaimer:I don't even care anymore.**

"There it is everyone, Camphrier Town, home of the famous Shabboneau Castle" I heard Ashley tell us as we entered the gates of Camphrier. The place was quite impressive with all of the old buildings that were very well maintained. You can pretty much feel the history coming from those ancient walls, making me feel like I had entered an entirely different timeline.

"It's incredible, look at how old these houses are." Caleb said while running his hand along one of the walls. Ashly pulled out her Pokédex thingy and typed in a few things before turning back to us.

"Says here that this is the oldest city in Kalos. It even goes as far back as the feudal era of the region." She informed us with a tone that would make you think she knew that all along. Caleb ate it up and started asking her questions while I stared up at the castle in the distance.

'Shabboneau Castle, that's a mouthful, wonder who came up with that name' I was surprised to hear from Caleb that it would be out next destination since Ashley said we were allowed to explore the building. I had to guess that Ash might have been somewhat of a history nut and wanted to see all of the artifacts that it would no doubt house.

"An actual castle...I never thought I'd ever see one with my own eyes." I heard Lilly nearly squeal in anticipation.

"Where'd you hear about castles?" I asked her, but didn't take my eyes off of our path, lest we get lost in an unfamiliar city. I could feel the fondness in her aura and knew I had hit a sweet spot, making me give an unseen smile.

"The professor always cared for us like his own children, he even read to us sometimes after he closed the lab. Sometimes he would tell us stories of knights storming castles to rescue a princess from a ferocious dragon type Pokémon." I chuckled at that little bit of information I was given. It was sweet how the professor treated his Pokémon, kinda reminded me of the little information I had on how my mom and dad treated me when I was young.

"That was nice of him, I bet you fantasized about that kinda stuff didn't you?" I nudged her, earning a small blush from the fox. "Come on, you ain't gotta be embarrassed, I'm your boyfriend for goodness sake." This brought a larger smile to her muzzle as she wrapped her tail around my back and walked close to my side.

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't, you'll just have to find out my handsome knight." We shared a laugh together and continued our trek to the castle. I was actually as excited as Lilly was about visiting a real life castle, but I was much better at keeping my emotions in check, so it didn't show.

"What do you think it going to be like inside the castle, do you think it'll be refurbished with a modern touch, or will it be exactly like of was back in the olden days of ancient Kalos?" Ashley asked with a twinkle in her eye as we neared the gate after about fifteen minutes of walking.

"I don't know, I'm kind of curious to find out myself, I've never been to a castle before." Caleb answered with the same giddiness as Lilly surrounding him.

"I swear, their all little kids on the inside' I mentally chuckled while I examined their auras. This was starting to become a habit of mine where I would constantly monitor their energy and emotions to the point where I knew what they'd feel like before they did. I'll admit that it might have been a little creepy, but I was only doing it to ensure no negative emotions decided to make themselves known. I hated emotions like sadness, anger, and worry, they left a bad taste in my mouth as I perceived every emotion with both my head and tongue.

'How many people can say they literally taste feelings...' That sounded weird now that I think about it. I shook my head to clear my thoughts before something got out of my mind and caused someone to worry about nothing.

I watched Caleb walk up to the front door, knocking a few times, and stepped back a good distance while we waited for an answer. After about a minute, a elderly looking gentleman opened the door for us.

"Hello sir and a good day to you madam, my name is Harold, how may I be of service to you this fine evening" he asked with a polite smile. I took a guess in saying that he must have been the butler since he wore that expensive looking black tuxedo with a clean white shirt underneath. His bright white hair was also neatly combed, giving him that stereotypical butler look.

"Hello sir, me and my friend were hoping we would be able to get a small tour around the castle, if its not to much trouble." Caleb answered respectfully, least the boy knew his manners. The man looked us over for a second, seemingly contemplating something before nodding with that smile still on his face.

"Of course, if you would please come with me. I will gladly show you the masters home" he answered, stepping back and letting us in the door. I decided to read his emotions before I let anyone go in, and was surprised to find the same shade in his aura as I did the professor. I hadn't expected a butler to be this kind, but my instincts and vision hadn't failed me yet, so I decided to trust the man and allow everyone to enter.

What was inside was truly marvelous. It looked just like a castle from feudal Kalos with the multiple swords and shields mounted on plaques that lined the walls of, what I presumed, the throne room. I ignored the major design flaw in the location of the castles most important room to stare at the room itself.

A red carpet with a yellow trim ran straight through the room, over the hard cobblestone floor and up the stairs to the royal pedestal. The throne itself was colored a brilliant royal purple in the middle while the rest looked to be made of actual gold. All in all, this room might house one of the most expensive chairs that I have ever laid eyes on.

"Whoa" we all breathed in unison, making Harold chuckle in amusement.

"It seems that you are in aww of the masters throne, am I correct?" he asked, receiving a dumb nod from our whole group.

"Its...beautiful" Ashley said to no one in particular, her eyes still glued to the throne. Harold nodded and cleared his throat, trying to get our attention.

"This throne, as well as the castle itself, was built over a millennium ago back during the middle ages in Kalos. Its estimated that this throne would cost over forty-thousand poke today, while the castle itself would need over 15 million in order to build even half of the building."

Everyone sucked in their breath when they heard how much this place cost, while I just stood there with a dumb look on my face. I didn't know how they counted currency in this world, so I had no idea how much one poke was even worth. The others reactions answered the unasked question for me though.

"15 million...just for half the castle" Caleb looked absolutely dumbstruck as his jaw hung open after hearing this little tidbit of information.

"That's...incredible." it seemed Ash was reduced to two word sentences now, forcing me to elbow her leg lightly to try and shake her from her stupor. That plan failed miserably though, making me sigh since I couldn't morally justify bringing this girl any pain. Caleb was easy pickings though and all it really took to shake him from his trance was a good smack on the back of his thigh. This was received with the much more desirable outcome of a pained yelp and a hard glare from the trainer.

"What the heck Aaron, do you enjoy hurting me or something?" I responded with an evil smirk and a, purely nonthreatening, charged force palm. He looked at me with horror filled eyes and I watched him slowly back away from the seemingly demon like Riolu that I was. I laughed at his terrified expression before receiving a smack to the back of the head, courtesy of Lilly's tail. The fluffy appendage usually didn't hurt at all, but I'm pretty sure she used a low powered iron tail to make sure I felt it.

"Sorry Lilly, got carried away" I rubbed the spot she hit and tried not to meet her fiery gaze. She didn't like when I messed with Caleb, even though she knew I was joking, she was a bit overprotective of the boy and loved making me hurt if I scared him. She just shook her head, seemingly disappointed by my behavior before a smile appeared on her face, which was soon buried into my neck fur.

My eyes shot open and my cheeks flared from her affections. I wasn't embarrassed by her actions, no, what embarrassed me was the fact that Caleb and Ashley, after finally coming back to us, were staring right at us.

'...Crap!'

"Awwww, there so cute together" Ashley squealed, the frequency of her voice making my eardrum's cry out in pain. Lilly must have intended for this to be my punishments for messing with Caleb, but it seems she didn't think things all the way through cause she looked to be in as much pain as I was.

"Lilly, think before you act next time" I begged while I held my still ringing ears.

""Yeah...good idea" she agreed from the floor, since she needed her forepaws to rub her ears.

"As I was saying" Harold said, regaining our attention, "this castle was built by the Shabboneau royal family many generations ago to serve as both a home and sanctuary for themselves and future heirs of their kingdom." He gestured us forward towards the throne while he continued his history lesson.

"While its true that the feudal era ended many centuries ago, this castle still serves its original purpose as a home for the Shabboneau family. In fact, the current ruler of the castle, Lord Shabboneau, will be coming down from his nap any second now if you would like to meet him." He offered, receiving an eager nod from everyone.

"Of course, I would be honored to meet actual royalty" Ashley readily agreed, receiving a smile and nod from Harold.

"But before he comes down, may I trouble you to help us with a small matter that has been plaguing us for some time." He asked, his smile fading after his plea. Caleb looked confused, and even a little worried.

"Uh, sure...what is it?" the butler shook his head and gestured to the right of the throne where a large door was slowly opening.

"It's best that I let the king explain, he can tell you better than I can." Caleb reluctantly nodded an turned his attention to the door. I had to use every ounce of my willpower to not just straight up laugh at the man that walked out into the throne room.

'Oh dear lord' I placed a paw over my mouth to hold back a laugh.

The man was built like a freaking egg. His body was rounded ball and his head literally looked like a sideways egg, even his hair and mustache made my gut hurt from the suppressed giggles. The crown on his head told me exactly who he was, making me laugh inside even more.

"Ah!, what's this, visitors, how splendid" he cheered.

'OH COME ON!' I mentally screamed after hearing his comically happy tone. I couldn't hold it back anymore and let out a quite snicker, receiving another iron tail to the head. I still had that smile on my face, but was able to finally calm myself and hold myself in check.

"Young masters, it is my pleasure to introduce the great Lord Shabboneau." Harold announced and stepped back with a small bow, his hand held out towards the man taking his seat on the throne.

"Greetings everyone, welcome to my castle, I am Lord Shabboneau, as you have already been told. May I inquire who all of you are?" he asked as politely as possible, making me try harder to hold back my giggles to keep from disrespecting the man in his own home.

"Hello your highness, my names Caleb. These are my friends Aaron, Lilly, and Ashley" he introduced himself and each of us respectively. We all respectively bowed to the man, receiving an amused laugh from him.

"There's no need for such formalities, I want you to feel comfortable here." He waved off our actions and leaned back in his throne. I could tell this was a front, I didn't need my aura sense to tell me that something was troubling him. I saw the exhaustion in his eyes, the weakness in his posture indicating fatigue.

"My Lord, I have good news for you, remember the little problem we have been having lately?" Harold asked, gaining the kings full attention, he was good at getting that out of everyone it seems.

"Yes, of course, have you figured out a solution?" Shabboneau asked pleadingly. Harold gave the man a nod and gestured over to us.

"These fine young...trainers?" Caleb nodded in confirmation, "have agreed to help us, can you please explain what it is that is wrong." I saw the hope in the kings eyes as he turned to us with a wide smile.

"They have, oh how wonderful" he cheered while clapping happily. I sweat dropped after witnessing his child like behavior, it must have meant that much to him.

"Your majesty" Harold sighed, making the king finally returning to the calm disposition of true royalty.

"Right...my young friends, as you may or may not know, the river that runs through route 7 has only one bridge that connect both sides of the river. This is where the problem has surfaced, it seems Snorlax has decided to take a nap right on the bridge" he told us with his eyes closed and his head down, looking depressed.

"So, just wake him up" Caleb responded, making the king release a tired breath.

"I wish it was just that simple." He sighed and rose from his seat to pace around his throne. "the reason we can't do that is because the Princess over at Parfum Palace took the Pokéflute, the only thing that will actually wake up Snorlax, for herself, despite my protest's."

'Serious déjà-vu moment here' I thought after hearing his story. I definitely remember this happening before, but it seems that this part of the show was left in shambles by the legendary Pokémon.

"So, just go get it back" Caleb said, still not really getting the reason behind Shabboneau's troubles.

"I'm afraid we can't really do that, Princess Allie can be quite...adamant when it comes to getting what she wants. She won't listen to us, no matter how much I beg her to return my precious Pokéflute. She would always respond by saying that its hers now, and no one else can have it except her, or something else along those lines."

Caleb finally seemed to realize why king was so worked up over this. I would be to if some spoiled brat barged into my home and took whatever she wanted. Now we were going to have to deal with this girl, there's no way we could back out now. Caleb said he'd help, and we need to move that Snorlax if were gonna continue our journey.

"Wow...that's just mean" Ashley stated with her arms crossed and her face adorned with a pout. She was silently fuming on the inside, but she tried her best to keep her cool on the outside. She impressed me a little by showing restraint instead of jumping the gun and instantly storming off to talk some sense into the Princess.

"But that's stealing...that's wrong" Lilly added while she looked up at me, her eyes filled with confusion, "Why would someone take someone else's stuff without asking."

I sighed and laid a paw on her back soothingly. She obviously hasn't been out in the world long enough to see the true nature of human beings. She was separated from the evil and greedy hearts of certain people by thick lab walls that housed nothing but Pokémon. I hated she had to learn this lesson, I wanted her to see only the good things in life, not terrible things like this, but I guess there's really no way of keeping her from seeing how the world was.

"Some people don't care if something belongs to them or not, they just take it because greed or desperation has clouded their moral judgement. They let their dark side take over and the natural evil that's in all of our hearts makes the decision for them." I explained the best I could. She seemed to understand, but she still felt bad for the king. No one deserves to have their belongings taken from them, but that's just the world we live in.

"Well then...we'll get it back for you" Caleb told him confidently. The kings eyes glowed in happiness as he charged down the steps and nearly tackled Caleb in a hug.

"Oh thank you, thank you, a million times thank you." We all sweatdropped as we watched the king latch onto Caleb and bounce them both while he jumped up and down.

"Seriously, he's a king?" I asked Lilly, getting a small giggle out of the fox.

Caleb, who was caught completely off guard from the kings sudden hug, just stood there while he looked to us for some kind of assistance. I didn't budge, this was kinda funny and I wanted to see how long this was gonna go on. Ashley had to go and ruin my fun though by forcefully separating Caleb from the child like individual before us. He ducked away from the king as soon as he was freed from his hold and, in an act of true confidence and bravery, somehow managed to hide himself behind me.

I just stared back at him with a face that pretty much said 'really dude'. Of all the things he could have done, he seriously took cover behind one of the smallest beings in this entire room.

"What, first thing that came to mind" he defended himself with a blush on his face as he dusted himself off from the dust on the floor he dived on to hide behind me. I just rolled my eyes and stepped up towards the king. I nudged his leg to get him to look down to me and started pretending I was playing a flute, then started pointing in random directions.

"Where is the Pokéflute now?" he asked receiving a nod from me, "why its in Parfum Palace like I said earlier."

"And where is that?" I gestured for him to go on and pointed in random directions again.

"Where is the Palace, oh right, I never told you all where it was." He facepalmed and told us all where we would find the Palace before sending us out the door with a good luck trailing behind us.

"I can already tell that this is gonna be a barrel of freaking laughs" I sighed, following close behind Caleb and the others on the road to the Parfum Palace.

 **Case y'all hadn't noticed yet, I'm putting a spin on the story by combining anime and game concepts to this and the next chapter. Please bear with me as I try and do this since I don't actually own the game myself. I'm pretty much running a guessing game here by using a mixture of YouTube videos and Pokémon XY episodes.**

 **This will not hinder my writing though, I've started this and I plan on finishing it...hopefully.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Here we are again everyone, welcome back to my world...literally.**

 **Sorry I ain't posted in a while y'all, I recently got into a wreck so I haven't really had time to update.**

 **I gotta tell you, I'm seriously finding it harder and harder to figure things out in half these chapters. I've never been the best at writing, so I may take a while to post some new chapters, hopefully not though. I hate to admit this, but this chapter is kinda lacking in inspiration and is highly similar to the episode in the anime. I hope this will not be a problem for anyone here.**

 **Disclaimer: Pokémon is a produce of Nintendo, I do not own or affiliate with it or any of its subsidiary's. This is pretty much a mandatory statement because of the similarities located here.**

"Wait!, what did you just say!" Ashley exclaimed, staring wide eyed at the gatekeeper of the Parfum Palace. The man looked at her with a face that showed no emotion, it was really creepy to me since emotions were my thing.

"If you want to enter the Parfum Palace, it will cost one-thousand poke per person" he repeated, making both Caleb and Ashley cringe. I still had no clue how the concept of currency was counted here, but I guessed it was a lot, judging from their reactions.

"Why does it cost so much just to get into the gate, Lord Shabboneau didn't make us pay to see his castle." The gatekeeper regarded us with a bored expression, which was a little better than no emotion at all.

"Princess Allie believes that, if you wish to see the beauty of her palace, then you must pay to help maintain it" he answered, his emotions reflecting his expression.

"What do we do" Caleb asked his friend while he dug through his wallet with dismay, "I don't have a thousand poke, I spent half my cash on potions and essentials." Ashley checked her purse, her face matching Caleb's.

"I don't have any either."

'Yep...never saw that coming' I facepawed. 'Why can't anything ever be easy?'

' _Did you try the back?'_ my eyes shot open and I looked all around me for owner of the voice.

'Mew?' I heard the little giggle in my subconscious. The sound of her high pitched laugh in my head still reminded me of some kind of horror movie and honestly scared me a little.

' _The one and only, now go around the back of the palace, I want to see how this plays out'_ she giggled again.

'See how what plays out?'I asked, feeling a little frightened. She didn't answer back so I assumed that she was either gone or stalking me in the hopes of getting a few laughs. I hated it, but I guess I had to do as she suggested since we had no other choice at the moment.

"What is it Aaron?" Caleb asked after I nudged his leg to get him to look at me. I gestured for them to follow me and started the little trek around the palace. He looked confused, but decided to follow after me anyway.

"Aaron, where are you going bud?" I ignored him as I rounded the bend of the gate. I was surprised that the fence didn't run around the entire perimeter of the palace and instead ended after reaching the sides where a large shrub took its place. I was seriously concerned about the lack of protection that both the palace and the castle seemed to have, seeing as how they were multimillion dollar buildings that probably housed ancient artifacts that would be worth a pretty penny on the black market.

' _My thoughts exactly'_ I heard Mew in my head for the second time today. ' _Its would be so easy to, oh I don't know, slip right through'_ she giggled and I felt my head moving on its own accord. I was, understandably, terrified that I was no longer in control of my body, probably from Mew taking over. I felt her hold release me right after my eyes came across the small hole that marred the uniformity of the shrub wall.

'Was that really necessary?' I asked, getting nothing but another one of her creepy little giggles. I shook my head and dragged Caleb to the hole before letting him go and crawling through the opening.

"Aaron, what are you doing...you can't just go in there without permission" he said and crawled in after me with Ashley right behind him. All I did was look back at him with a small smirk.

"Well congrats good Samaritan, your now an accomplice to breaking and entering" I said and started walking through the beautiful garden that secretly left me in aww. This entire backyard had to he worth at least a million poke, hope I'm guessing that right. All of my companions weren't able to hide their amazement from the sheer beauty of the garden.

"Look at all of this...its incredible, don't you think so Aaron?" Lilly asked me while looking at all of the flowers and statues that the garden housed. I nodded, but still kept my face free of any expression beside one of determination.

"I'll admit, its is quite impressive, by were not here to look at pretty flowers, were on a mission here." I reminded her while keeping a constant eye on my surroundings, reading the garden for any guards, human or Pokémon.

"Oh...right" she looked a bit saddened by my response, but I made sure she didn't stay that way.

"Hey now, no need to be so down. I promise that, after we find the Pokéflute, I'll sneak us back in here and we'll enjoy this place together, just the two of us." She perked right up after I said that and even gave me a quick nuzzle.

"I'd like that, now let's get this flute already." She now looked as determined as I was, probably ready to get this over with so we could come back without anyone but ourselves. I couldn't help but laugh at the sudden change in attitude and patted her head before I felt my hackles raise up on their own.

I knew my instincts were trying to warn me of a potential threat, so I let them take over and pushed Lilly behind me as my eyes darted around the garden. I held my paw up to stop any of them from saying anything and closed my eyes while scanning around the area with my aura sense.

I felt a growl rising in my throat as I felt something coming towards us very quickly. I made sure that everyone was safely behind me and prepared myself to fight off the thing as it hopped over the shrub in front of us. What I saw made me waver in my stance and stare in a mixture of surprise and disappointment.

'A Furfrou...really' I deadpanned as I watched the poodle Pokémon bark at us, trying to look as intimidating as possible. It really didn't have a chance though, it was kinda hard to be scared by a white and pink furred poofball that was styled to look elegant instead of threatening.

"What are you doing in my mistresses garden, leave this instant before I make you regret ever being born!" She threatened as she continued to bark and growl at us. I raised a brow at the Pokémon and turned to the others for a second, then back to her, before I suddenly burst into a bout of uncontrollable laugher.

"Ahaha...haha...are you freaking serious!" I said as I held my gut while I laughed harder than I ever have before. This was their guard dog, a poodle styled like a fashion queen...now that's rich. This made the Furfrou halt in her threats for a minute as she stared at me, confused by my sudden fit of laugher, then her face became one of anger.

"YOU LITTLE PEASANT, HOW DARE YOU LAUGH AT ME!" she shouted in pure rage. The only thing that her outburst accomplished was getting me to laugh even harder as I was now on the verge of tears. I don't know why, but seeing her trying to threaten me was just too funny.

"Oh jeez...haha...oh please oh mighty one...please...have mercy on me" I said before collapsing to my knees as I held onto my stomach with both paws, the laughter actually starting to hurt a little. Now she looked straight up pissed as she prepared to charge at me in a in a bout of rage and hate.

"FURFROU, WHERE ARE YOU!?" I heard a young girls voice call from nearby and saw a little red haired girl wearing a pink dress and a tiara walk out from behind one of the shrubs. I knew she must have been the Princess from her looks and the fact that she had a small army of maids trailing behind her.

"MISTRESS!" Furfrou cried and charged towards the girl and stopped right next to her so the girl could lay a gloved hand on the Pokémons neck.

"Furfrou, what are you doing around these commoners, you know how filthy they can be." She said with a smile as she petted the poodle.

'Excuse me' I felt my eye twitch in slight anger from her comment, but was stopped from vocalizing it when Caleb stepped in front of me.

"Excuse me, are you Princess Allie?" he asked the little girl. She looked at the boy for a few seconds before turning her head away with her nose held high.

"Yes I am...now tell me what your doing breaking into my garden, you peasants are lucky that I let you in at all."

'Oh fantastic' I thought while I held a paw to my head. This girl was already giving me a headache, the greed and superiority complex her emotions gave off making me sick.

"Were sorry to just enter without permission Princess, but we came to ask you for the Pokéflute back so we can wake up Snorlax and get it off of the bridge in Route 7." Ashley explained. The girls expression changed not even a little as she looked at Ash from the corner of her eye.

"Sorry, but I'm not just going to give you the flute. Its mine, and what mine is mine, and I plan on keeping it that way" she said before catching sight of me. I took a small step back as she looked down at me with a predatory gaze, a smile forming on her face. "What do we have here."

'Oh crap' I thought, taking a step back for each one she made towards me until she was only an inch from me.

"All Riolu have different sized aura sensors that actually reflect their personality" she started as she leaned down and held one of the tear drops on the side of my head. "This one's are the perfect size and shape, reflecting the personality of true royalty and of the knights of the feudal era."

"Say what now?" I asked, completely confused by her statement. She didn't seem to hear me, or just chose to ignore me, and I suddenly found myself being lifted from the ground by the arms of the princess.

"I have decided that you are unfit to care for this little one here, and I will gladly take him off of your hands."

"WHAT!" I heard everyone shout and I felt Caleb rip me from the girls grasp and hug me close to him while glaring daggers at the girl.

"No way, you are not taking my friend from me" he growled, making the girl look back at him with annoyance. I actually found myself holding onto Caleb like he was some kind of guardian angel as the two were staring each others down, seeing who would break first.

The girl finally relented with a click of her tongue and snapped her fingers, making two of the maids walk off and return a few seconds later with a cart that was covered by a white tarp. She snapped her fingers again and another maid grabbed onto the tarp, pulling back and revealing what the sheet was hiding.

"Holy mother of God" I muttered as I stared at the cart covered in gold, jewels, and a whole manner of precious gems that had to be worth millions altogether.

"Then perhaps we can make a trade...all of these treasures can be yours if you give me that Riolu." I growled at the way she talked about me, like I was just something that could be bought and sold at whim. I knew I wasn't human anymore, but I was still sentient, a creature that had the same mental capacity of any human.

"Not going to happen sister, Aaron isn't an object that you can buy or take just because you want him." Caleb vocalized my thoughts perfectly and hugged me tighter to make sure she knew I wasn't going to be hers.

"Well then how about we battle for him" she offered, taking Caleb aback from the suggestion.

"What?" he asked, making Allie smile and point the fan in her hand towards me.

"That's right, we'll have a battle, winner gets your Riolu and maybe, if you win, I'll give back the Pokéflute. Caleb looked down to me with a thoughtful gaze, considering the offer. I looked down to my paws and thought about my chances for a minute before clenching both of them and looking up at Caleb confidently.

"You sure Aaron?" he asked, receiving a nod before I jumped from his arms and stared up at the girl.

"Your on you little brat" I sneered and nodded at her, actually making her smirk, that hungry look still in her eyes. All conversation ended as we made our way to the gardens battlefield and took our respective positions.

"Alright, I'll be ref, that cool?" Ashley asked from the raised referee platform that looked over the field.

"Yes yes, let's get this over with." Allie said impatiently as that Furfrou stared at me, hate flaming from her form.

"Ready for me little Missy" I teased, getting an angry growl from her. I guess she was too mad at me to form words, her feral side beginning to take over. I wanted to get her angry, when your enemy comes at you while their mad, they make mistakes, disobey their trainer. This made it much easier for me to win, but I didn't like using this tactic since I didn't like insulting anyone.

She just made it way to easy though, how could I resist.

"THE BATTLE BETWEEN CALEB AND PRINCESS ALLIE SHALL NOW GET UNDER WAY!" Ashley called in an official manner, using Allie's title to avoid upsetting the girl. "BATTLE BEGIN!"

"Your palace princess, you can have first move" Caleb said, getting a small smile from me. It was nice change of pace, letting them come for me instead of the other way around.

"Very well, Furfrou, use Bite." She ordered, that snobby attitude coming through loud and clear. The Furfrou charged forward, her teeth glowing and ready to sink into me.

"Dodge it" I heard Caleb say calmly and waited for her to get in close before leaping over the Pokémon and landing right behind her.

"Too slow" I chuckled before charging up a Force Palm and preparing to strike her down at Caleb's order.

"Force Palm" he commanded with a bored sigh. I tisked and reeled my arm back before throwing my attack right to her side, kicking up dust and debris as I threw her back into the dirt.

"Well that was disappointing" I sighed sadly, wishing for a little more of a challenge than that hall-ass performance.

"FURFROU!" Allie screamed and ran across the field to help her Furfrou up from the ground. "Look at you, your all dirty, MAIDS!

"Yes mistress?" One of the maids asked respectfully as she came to a stop next to the girl.

"Please get a bath ready and clean up my beloved Furfrou" she ordered. I tilted my head, confused at this little display, and looked over to Ashley, who looked just as confused.

"Did I win?" I asked myself while scratching the back of my head as I watched the maids take away my opponent, who still looked fully capable of battle.

"Um...Princess, are you forfeiting the battle?" Ashley asked her before receiving a glare from the girl.

"My Furfrou can't battle covered in dirt like a peasant." She said with her nose up. Ashley blinked a few times before holding her hand over our side of the field.

"PRINCESS ALLIE HAS FORFEITED THE MATCH, THE WINNER IS CALEB" Ashley announced, still a little surprised from Allie's sudden stop of the battle. I looked back at Caleb with the same look of confusion plastered on my face. He just shrugged and stepped up towards the Princess with a neutral expression.

"So Princess, can we get the flute back now?" Caleb asked, somewhat respectful of the princess despite her not really deserving any of it.

"No" she answered simply, her tone lacking any sarcasm, she was serious.

"WHAT!" Caleb and I shouted as we regarded the girl with contempt. She was going back on her deal.

"You said that we can get the flute back if we beat you in a battle" Caleb reminded her as his fists clenched in barely controlled rage.

"No, I said that I _may_ give it back, I never promised I actually would" she said with a smirk and started walking away from us, "Now I must be going, ta ta."

I wasn't going to just let her back out after the way she treated us. I jumped right in front of her path and stared up at her, my eyes filled with unbridled fury.

"Listen here you spoiled little bitch, we beat you fare and square, and you just want to back out of this deal! Well newsflash, that ain't gonna freaking happen! You royalty dammit, your word is your honor, and going back on a deal sullies the name of your entire family! You need to get one important fact through that pretty little head of yours! Just because you're a princess, your not automatically better than everyone else, so check your attitude, because that shit pisses everyone off! I know you can't understand me, but your about to see what a truly pissed off Riolu looks like if you don't hand over the flute right freaking now!" I ranted, trying my best not to reach out and strangle this little girl.

It looked like she actually understood me for a minute there, her mind seeming to register my words as she called for the maids and ordered them to go get the flute and relinquish it into our possession, her voice laced with fear. She looked absolutely terrified of me and even went as far as holding her fan over her face to avoid my gaze.

"H-Here, take it...just...please...don't let that Riolu keep shouting those insults at me." She begged, making all of us look at her in surprise.

"Wait, you understood him?" Caleb asked, receiving a small nod from the Princess.

"I heard him yelling at me...in here" she answered, pointing to her head. This confused me even more as I looked down at my paws.

'Did I...use telepathy?'

' _ding ding ding, we have a winner'_ I jumped at the sound of Mews voice, making her give me one of her trademark giggles. ' _seriously Aaron, I gave you all that information on Pokémon and you forgot that Riolu and Lucario can use telepathy...well if they have the ability to.'_

'...Mew...I think you have some explaining to do.' She giggled again, could she stop doing that for like five minutes.

' _I don't have to explain anything Aaron, your lucky I'm even talking to you at all.'_ I felt her smirking at me, making me growl silently in annoyance. I turned at Caleb to see him looking back at me curiously. I shrugged and shook my head to let him know that I had no idea she was saying, he seemed to believe me, but I knew he was going to want to question me about it later.

"Its alright Princess, I promise Aaron won't yell at you anymore, right?" he asked me, receiving a nod in affirmation. Allie seemed satisfied with the promise and returned her gaze to me, the fear still in her eyes, but there was something else in those eyes...admiration.

"Thank you...and Aaron...I feel like I have to thank you for talking to me in such a manner." She said, making my jaw drop, "I was raised to be like a princess...I guess in all of that teaching, I developed a sense of superiority because of everything I go through to be a princess. Thank you for reminding me that I should still respect others."

'Well...that was...unexpected' I thought, nodding my head regardless of my confusion. I hadn't really intended to teach her a lesson...or how she interpreted it as such. I just said those words because I couldn't keep them bottled away anymore after she backed out of the deal. I glanced over at Lilly to see that she was equally confused as I was, not getting any help from her anytime soon.

"Right...well then, we need to get this back to Lord Shabboneau, so...yeah" Caleb said awkwardly as he stepped past the princess and headed towards the palace instead of the hole we entered from. "It cool if we use your front door?" Allie just waved him off without even turning to him, her eyes still locked onto me. Seriously, this girl was creeping the hell out of me.

"Ash...hide me" I squeaked as I hid behind the girl to escape the other girls gaze. She just chuckled and picked me up before setting me in her bag next to the Riolu doll she always carried with her now. I glanced at the creepy doll, but ultimately decided it was better then having to be near Allie any longer than I already have.

"Aaron?" Lilly looked at me worriedly, not understanding why I looked so scared.

"What" I didn't dare take my eyes off of the little girl. She followed my gaze and looked at the princess for a minute before giggling amusedly, finally connecting the dots.

"Really?...you've faced so many Pokémon that were five times as threatening as her, and yet your quivering like a scared Pidgey"

"The difference is that I could fight them, I can't fight a little human girl, that's got to be against some kind of code or something." This got her laughing again as she followed close beside us while I just huddled myself in Ashley's bag to try and hide myself from her gaze like she had done earlier herself.

'Mew...I freaking hate you right now, damn you and your suggestions.' I mentally seethed, hating that the little cat with all of my being, 'You could have warned me about Allie.'

The last thing I heard before finally leaving that creepy little girl was a small giggle echo in my head.

' _Now where's the fun in that'_

 **Thanks for sticking around this long y'all, I really appreciate all of your support and hope to further meet the Standards of my faithful readers.**


	10. Chapter 10

**You've returned, hallelujah. I'm so glad to see all of you , how are you. I'm trying something new in this chapter, the amazing and ultra incredible time skips.**

 **I don't really enjoy using time breaks in my stories, but I'm kinda lacking inspiration for this chapter. Other than that...I think there's nothing left to report, so just enjoy the read.**

"My flute! Oh my precious Pokéflute!" Lord Shabboneau cried as he hugged his treasure to his chest so it couldn't be taken from him again. He had nearly tackled Caleb to get his flute back after seeing it in his hands when we entered the throne room.

'Seriously...he's a king?' I deadpanned while watching the man dance around like an idiot. He was making a complete fool of himself and didn't even seem to care. The man was his own brand of weird, I'd even take Allie's attitude over this cringe worthy sight.

"Thank you thank you, I don't know how I could ever repay you" he said before suddenly stopping his dancing and holding a finger in the air, possibly coming up with an idea, "I know, we'll have a fireworks display to celebrate and then I'll play the flute to get Snorlax off of the bridge."

"There's no need for all that your highness" Caleb rubbed the back of his head sheepishly after hearing the kings proposal. Shabboneau just shook his head and twirled around so he was facing away from his throne before taking a seat.

"Nonsense, this is a truly momentous occasion, you deserve a celebration for helping me and all of the other trainers that wish to continue on their journeys" he reasoned and held up a hand to stifle Caleb's protests, "It will not be a hassle or burden for anyone young friend. We enjoy doing these kinds of things on a daily basis, it always puts the entire town in a better mood. What better thing to do to celebrate than to make everyone happy."

This guy was actually making sense now, there's no way Caleb could find a hole in his logic. Even I found myself agreeing with the man, which kind of scared me. I nudged Caleb's leg and nodded for him to just go with it. He just sighed and grinned before looking back up at Shabboneau.

"Alright Lord Shabboneau...we'll accept your offer" Caleb said, making Shabboneau cheer from his seat and ordered Harold the butler to inform the fireworks crews to get everything ready.

"This is going to be so much fun, you'll love it, I guarantee it" he said with unsuppressed glee. "Now go off and enjoy the city, we won't be getting started till tonight, I already ordered one of my loyal servants to tell everyone in town about you. Enjoy yourselves in my city, everything in town is on me, so shop till you drop if you wish." He should not have said that.

I glanced over to Ashley to see if my suspicions were warranted. I instantly feared for the man's wallet after seeing the twinkle in the girls eyes. I had to let the man know what he had just got himself into, so I tried the first thing that came to mind. I closed my eyes on focused my thoughts, then directed them to the man in hopes that the telepathy would work again.

' _That is a very bad idea with Ashley around'_ I thought towards him. I smiled widely when I saw him looking around in confusion.

"Who said that?" he demanded while glancing to each and every person in the room, confusing Caleb and Ashley greatly.

"Said what your highness?" Ashley asked.

"I swear I heard a voice...am I going crazy?" he scratched his head, making me snicker at his reaction to my voice.

' _Maybe, maybe not'_ his eyes widened even further and he started cowering in fear of me without knowing it was actually me. He looked pretty pathetic like that, so I decided to have mercy on the guy.

' _Down here'_ I tapped his leg with a paw, making him jump a good foot in the air while holding his hand over his heart, did I scare him that badly.

"What?" he glared down at me for scaring him so bad.

' _Peace malord, twas only me'_ I said, jokingly trying to sound like a medieval knight addressing his feudal lord. He just stared at me until his brain managed to catch up and register that he was not crazy or on any danger, and then he actually started laughing.

"oh dear me, you got me good there little one" he chuckled and patted my head, "I thank you for the warning, but don't worry, I have plenty in my treasury." He was acting like a little Riolu talking to him in his head was completely normal, but I guess it would be normal since Mew said that Riolu and Lucario can use telepathy.

"Um...your highness, did you hear him in your head too?" Caleb asked, pointing down to me. Shabboneau nodded happily and I decided to have a little fun with my trainer by trying the same thing with him as I did the king.

' _What, is it really so hard to believe that I'm smart enough to use telepathy?'_ I asked in mock anger, making him think that he had offended me. He was taken aback by both my voice in his head, and its tone.

"A-Aaron...d-d-did you j-just-" he stuttered out, but I cut him off before he could finish.

" _Yes I did boy, seriously, do you have to doubt me about this as much as you do.'_ I tried my best to suppress a giggle as I continued my little rant. I was having way too much fun messing with the kid, but as always, Lilly came to his rescue.

"Aaron, quit whatever your doing, your scaring him half to death " Lilly ordered, making me put an end to my charade and cross my arm with a disappointed scowl on my face.

"Man...why you gotta ruin my fun" I pouted and kicked the floor in mock irritation, trying to get a rise out of her. I wanted to have some fun and messing with my friends is the best way I know how. I forgot a very important rule though, never mess with Lilly.

She growled in annoyance and pelted me with a flamethrower, reminding me of this rule in the most painful way possible. I thought about how earlier events were starting to repeat themselves as I rubbed the singe marks on my fur. I was afraid of becoming a Lucario later if she kept up these acts of violence towards me. Lucario were part Steel type, which was weak to fire, this meant that a flamethrower to the face like I just had would hurt a hundred times worse.

"That's a scary thought" I said to myself after finally getting my fur back to its original color instead of gray from the soot of her flames. I was literally dating a walking fireball...doesn't that just sound so exciting.

"Aaron, where did you learn telepathy?" Caleb asked, still sounding a little wary of me.

' _No idea'_ I shrugged, _'all I know is, life is about to get a bit more interesting for us.'_ This got a nod from my trainer before we both found ourselves being forcefully pulled out the door by both Ashley and Lilly.

"Come on you two, we have an all expense paid shopping spree in front of us, and I plan on taking advantage of it." Ashley said as she dragged Caleb while Lilly did the same to me.

"Yeah Aaron, it'll be so much fun." I heard Lilly say, her voice muffled from having my arm in her mouth. All we could do was stare at each other in horror as we were forced out the door and thrown into every shop in town.

 **5 hours later**

' _Caleb...help!'_ I cried in distress as I collapsed from the weight of the shopping bags and found myself buried under the mountain of paper bags that the girls made us carry. I decided to add some dramatics by holding a shaky paw out of the top of the bags while begging for help from my trainer. I quickly found myself being pulled from my paper prison and into Caleb's arms, where I was then hugged securely to him while we both stared at the girls with fear in our eyes.

They both just looked back at us with a bored expression.

"Don't be so dramatic" They said in unison, making us both of give them a fake pout before we burst into laughter. We had wanted to have our little share of the fun, so we had been messing with the girls and generally acting like children during their entire shopping spree. Needless to say, they were not amused, not even a little. We, on the other hand, were having the most fun that we've had all week.

I was glad to see that Caleb had his own childish side to go along with mine. This made him the prime candidate for my partner in crime as we continued our childish antics.

"So...heavy" he grunted as he pretended to struggle in his efforts to pick up all of the bags. They definitely weren't heavy, seeing as they held pretty much nothing but clothes and multiple kinds of Pokétreats, as well as grooming supplies. I mirrored his actions by picking up my share of the load with a pained whine, getting another annoyed glare from the girls.

"I swear, you two are acting like children" Ashley sighed, getting a nod from Lilly.

"That's the point sweetheart" I snickered, tilting my head to avoid a small fireball from my beloved fox. I could tell we were nearing the limit that our actions would allow with the girls and shot Caleb a warning glance. He noticed it and became his normal self to avoid making them both truly angry at us.

"The fireworks will probably be starting soon, we should be heading back to the castle" Caleb suggested, making us all look up at the darkening sky with mixed emotions. Me and Caleb both looked to the night with relief since it meant that we would finally be done with shopping. Ashley and Lilly saw the night with disdain as their fun came to an end.

"Fine...let's head back." They both began to sulk as they walked behind us with their heads down in sorrow. I could tell it was faked though, you can't fool a Riolu with fake emotions. Caleb though, like everyone else in our group it seemed, was unable to see past their charade and tried to cheer them up while I rolled my eyes at his obliviousness.

 **15 minutes later**

"Welcome back my friends" Shabboneau greeted as he ushered us forward while his butlers and other servants ran around us.

"Hello your highness...what's going on?" he smiled and gestured for us to follow him out the door next to his throne. We decided not to ask questions and did as we were told, soon finding ourselves on the castle balcony that overlooked a very impressive garden. It wasn't as amazing as the garden at the Parfum Palace, but it was amazing nonetheless.

That wasn't what really got any of our attention though, what we all had our focus on was a large buffet table. It was covered in many different foods and even had a small section devoted to us. We stared wide eyed at the entire spread and I found my mouth watering at the delectable scents in the air.

"Impressive, is it not?" Shabboneau chuckled as he judged our reactions, "I had all of my best cooks prepare a feast for you and your Pokémon to help celebrate the return of my flute."

"But...isn't this a bit much?" The king waved off Ashley's concern as he shook his head.

"Of course not, what you have done has helped more than just me. You have helped all of Kalos by giving me back the item needed to wake up Snorlax."

"All this though...I don't know what to say" Caleb said. The king smiled and held his hand towards the table.

"No words are necessary my young Caleb, simply do me the honor of thanking you as I wish." He replied.

We didn't argue with the man and began to dig into our respective side of the table. I was a little upset that I wouldn't be able to eat human food again, but was at least thankful that the Pokémon food didn't exactly taste bad to my tongue. This food though, made me completely forget about all other food on the table. The food was like nothing I had ever eaten before.

"Slow down hun" I heard Lilly tell me as she and Lee, who I had requested be released so he could enjoy the food, watched as I downed the food with gusto. I usually ate slower than all of the others, but this food was simply just too good and I couldn't help myself from tearing into it as fast as possible.

She tried again to tell me to eat slower, but I still didn't acknowledge her, completely enraptured by my meal. She growled at me for ignoring her and pulled the food away from me. I whined at the loss of my food and looked at her with sad eyes. She was unaffected by my puppy eyes and even laughed at the sight of the begging Riolu before her.

"You need to slow down sweetie" she giggled cutely, earning another pout from me.

"I can't help it, it was just so good...can I have it back by the way...please." she tilted her head in thought before a wide smile overtook her muzzle. I saw the mischievousness in her aura as she slid the bowl back over to me. I reached out for it, but she smacked away my paw before I could get anywhere near it.

I was practically at the verge of tears by now from being denied my food, but she just scooted up next to me with that same mischievous smile on her face. I looked at her, my eyes reflecting my confusion, earning another giggle from her. She reached a paw down into my food bowl and pulled out a single piece before offering it to me. I shrugged, figuring she was doing this to stop me from making myself sick, and reached out for the piece of food. I whimpered when she pulled it away from my reach, before she surprised me by bringing it back just an inch from my muzzle.

I looked at her questioningly before opening my muzzle and letting her feed me the food. I found myself flushing from the fact I was being fed by her, but soon found myself doing the same for her. I laughed when I heard Lee gag from the sight of our affection, not quite being old enough to see relationships in a mature manner.

"Isn't that just adorable?" I heard Ashley say with a muffled squeal as I saw her point to the two of us out of the corner of my eye. Lilly rolled her eyes at the comment and fed me the last piece of food from the bowl with a noticeable grin on her face.

"Lilly, I know that look...what are you thinking?" I asked nervously as she rose to her paws and pushed me with her head.

"I'm thinking about what you promised me earlier today." I tilted my head questioningly before it finally hit me.

"Wait! Please don't make me go back!" I begged as she dragged me from my spot on the balcony and towards the door.

"No can do, you promised me" she told me with a shake of her head.

"But what if _she's_ there?" I asked in a last ditch effort to avoid my possible demise. She didn't answer, just kept her eyes forward while continuing to drag me away from the party.

'God help me.'

 **30 minutes later**

"I wonder why they haven't started yet." I heard Lilly mutter aloud from her spot on the stone bench we claimed for our night time excursion to the the Parfum Palace garden. The landscape was absolutely beautiful at night, but the statues gave it an eerie feel that made Lilly stick a little closer to me out of paranoia, not that I really minded.

"I'm sure their just making some last minute adjustments" I told her to ease her anxiousness. They had not started shooting the fireworks off yet, much to my surprise, and she was being forced to sit there impatiently while staring up into the sky. I was a little anxious myself, but I didn't let anything as trivial as my own patience interrupt my time with my little vixen.

"We just have to be patient." I smiled as I nuzzled her ears while stroking her silky tail to straighten out the fur the way she liked it. She smiled back and licked my cheek affectionately before turning back to the sky when she heard a distant whistle. I looked up and watched the dim streak of light fly up into the sky before bursting, turning the black sky a glorious red. The initial explosion surprised and scared Lilly as she yelped and his her face in my neck. I chuckled and held into her tightly as I turned her head back to the sky, just in time to see another burst of light that covered us in a verdant green.

"Those are the fireworks sweetheart...the product of human ingenuity and their desire to celebrate." I laughed a little at my comment as I watched Lilly's reactions more than I did the fireworks.

"Their...amazing" she muttered, totally in aww at the wonderful colors that filled the sky. I smiled and lightly scratched the tuft of fur behind her ears.

"They represent something when you think about it...cause fireworks are nothing but powder and pretty colors that are meant to be enjoyed for only a scant moment. They show that something truly beautiful can come and go before your very eyes. Their beauty lives forever though...because we will always remember the true joy that each and every one can bring us." I cupped Lilly's jaw and turned her to meet me eye-to-eye.

"Lilly...you are my firework...you are truly beautiful in my eyes. That is why you will not fade like those pretty lights up there. Your beauty is eternal...for you are my little firefox...you are what truly makes the night beautiful." I saw a small tear start to form from my heartfelt, but slightly cheesy, statement. I took my free paw and wiped the tear away, not wanting to see it try and take away from her beauty.

"Aaron..." Was all she was able to say before I saw her face edging ever closer to mine. I felt my heart start to race as we both closed the distance slowly before we finally met in a kiss. One of true love and compassion, and there we stayed for most of the night, well past the end of the fireworks.

We were sure we would get in serious trouble for not coming back soon, but that didn't matter to us. Tonight was our night, and we were just getting started.

 **I'm sorry about the last scene y'all, I just couldn't help myself. I had wanted to feed the romance side of the story and is was just the perfect setting for it.**

 **Hope you enjoyed it, I'm out.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Howdy once again people, welcome back. I'm not gonna ramble this time, really got nothing to say.**

"Dude, I can still feel the earth trembling" Caleb laughed after feeling another trimmer hit from the Snorlax that danced away as the king led him out with the Pokéflute. I had never seen something as funny as that fat giant spring up from his nap and dance around. Each step created a small earthquake as Shabboneau marched the chubby creature off of the bridge and off to wherever he so desired.

"I'm surprised the bridge didn't collapse, didn't you hear it when he stepped off?" Ashley asked, reminding us of how the bridge groaned in relief after the Pokemon's bulk was lifted off of it. The one who built that bridge should be proud, seeing as how it could support a half-ton ball of pure fat and muscle, despite its size.

'Just glad I didn't have to fight it like they do in the game' I mentally sighed, relieved that I would have to battle that hulking giant. I was even more happy that we no longer had to stay in Camphrier Town. I never liked being in one place to long when there was so much to see, so much to do. I even found myself nearly leaving my little group behind as we continued our trek through route 8, which I believed led to Ambrette Town if my memory was correct.

"Aaron, I'm about to carry you if you don't slow down" Caleb warned when they all had to start struggling to keep up with my increased pace. I smirked and slowed down a little before coming to a complete stop when I reached Caleb. The boy, not expecting this sudden obstacle, found himself stumbling forward and nearly face planting into the dirt after tripping over me. He glared back at me while I laughed at his misfortune.

"You think that's funny? Well why don't I put you in your Pokéball so you can laugh all about it." I could tell he was dead serious, his aura showing no hint of amusement. I immediately apologized with my head down, trying to look submissive to avoid going into the ball. He knew how much I hated going into that thing, and he was finally using that fact to his advantage.

'Boys getting smart' I mentally chuckled, but still kept my head down in submission. I felt guilt coming from my trainer soon after as he kneeled down and lightly scratched me behind my ears. I didn't look up at him though, I kept my eyes to the ground as the guilt he had grew tenfold. It was kind of a dick move on my part, but I wanted him to feel this way since I knew he cared about his team, and seeing me so upset would prevent him from threatening me with my ball again.

"Aaron...I'm sorry bud...I shouldn't have threatened you like that, but you have to stop messing with us so much." He told me calmly to avoid upsetting me, but also in the same manner you would if you were scolding a child.

"Ok..." I muttered, actually feeling bad from the amount of guilt he was letting off. I now regretted making him feel this way...I didn't want him to be upset, especially by my paw. I wanted my friend and trainer to feel happy so I did the only thing I knew to cheer him up, I gave him a hug.

"Aww, thanks bud" he said happily as he hugged me back. It must have been a pretty heartwarming scene, because we heard Ashley start throwing a fit over us.

"Soooo cute" she cooed and heard something click in her direction. I glanced over, not breaking the hug with my trainer, and saw her holding her phone up at us. I guessed she had taken a picture, but I didn't really care, I was focused on cheering up my trainer.

I felt Caleb try to break the hug but I simply wouldn't let him. Every time he tried to let go, I held onto him tighter, knowing he was getting amusement from this. He chuckled and moved his arms to support me as he stood up with me in his arms.

"What's up with you today bud?" He laughed and held me with both his arms over my chest. I laughed and hugged his arms, now just enjoying showing him affection. I guessed my new Pokémon instincts decided to take over and make me more affectionate towards my trainer, he didn't seem to mind though.

"That's adorable."

"You think everything's adorable Ash." Caleb sighed and rested his chin on my head when we started walking again. Ashley looked like she was about to say something, but held her tongue we she saw me smirking at her. I was daring her to say something, I really wanted a good laugh and she was easy prey.

"Whatever" she huffed and turned away from us to hide the blush on her cheeks. We all shared a laugh at the girls expense, our laughter making her blush even harder. Caleb patted her back lightheartedly.

"Ease up girl, just messing with you" he said in an effort to calm her down. It didn't work though, I could still feel the annoyance and spite coming from her. She was as bad as Lilly when you mess with hers the difference is that there's less chance of pain.

' _Let her cool down bud'_ I advised, making Caleb look around for a minute before looking down at me with a face of dumb realization.

"Still getting used to you talking...you sure you have no idea how you figured out how to do this?" Caleb asked me. I shrugged and turned my eyes up to him.

' _No idea, I know some of my species can use telepathy...guess my emotions flared up and I accidentally talked in her head.'_ I said, referring to the Princess I had terrified back at the Parfum Palace. He seemed satisfied by my answer and didn't press the matter any further, which I was thankful for.

"How much longer till we reach Ambrette Town?" Ashley asked, a hint of frustration in her tone. The girl hated walking for too long and had no problem making us stop whenever she wanted to. Caleb sighed and shook his head with his eyes closed.

"I've told you five minutes ago Ash, were still about an hour from the town." Caleb replied tiredly. I could tell he was silently venting in his head from the feelings of extreme annoyance. I didn't want to, but I had to jump from his hold to avoid getting a migraine from his emotions. He didn't look too upset from the abrupt loss of contact, he knew what extreme emotions could do to me.

I knew it was best to let him silently vent in his head, and I would never try and talk to Ashley for fear of the death hug, and Lee was still in his Pokéball like he had requested. All that was left for me to talk to was Lilly, not that I was complaining.

"So, how are you doing today sweetheart?" I asked after making it to Lilly's side. She didn't say anything, just looked to me with that lovely smile of hers. She knew I already knew her feelings so she just leaned on me silently.

"Are you as happy as I am about seeing Ambrette?" she asked me excitedly, her eyes twinkling with wonder.

"I'll admit, I'm ready for something new, haven't really seen much of Kalos" I answered before wrapping my arm around her neck. She hummed in agreement and nuzzled into my neck before an audible click was heard. I looked back to see Ashley with her camera aimed at us and an open smile on her face.

"Right into the scrapbook, you both look so cute together." She said, making me blush and take a step away from Lilly in embarrassment. This earned a laugh from everyone, even Lilly was giggling at my expense. I rubbed the back of my head with a noticeable blush and a sheepish smile on my muzzle.

"Its alright Aaron, were just messing with you" Caleb chuckled and patted my head lightly. I gave him a mock growl in response. This just made him chuckle at my anger that he knew was faked.

"Whatever" I grunted and looked ahead with an angry expression, but still held a small smile on my face.

"Anyway" Ashley interrupted and stopped in front of us, "I wanted to know what the plan is when we reach Ambrette."

Caleb shrugged and locked his hands behind his head and leaned back while walking past Ash.

"Alright...well I was thinking we could stop by Ambrette aquarium after we find my sister." She suggested, making me tilt my head.

' _Your sister?'_ I asked, not even knowing that she had a sister. In fact, I didn't really know much about my trainers traveling companion other than her name and...that's it actually.

Ash looked down at me with a smile and a fond expression, seemingly pleased with my question.

"Yep, she's one of the best showcase performers out there, they even say she's better than Aria. I hoped we would be able meet her because she's holding onto my Pokémon for me." She explained, that fond look still in her eye.

' _Wait, who's Aria?'_

"She's the current Kalos queen, the most prominent performer in the Pokémon showcase." She answered. I nodded in understanding and left her alone so I could return to holding Lilly.

"I've got a cousin living in Ambrette, maybe I'll vi-" Caleb stopped mid-sentence and looked around us, eyes narrowed. The sudden nervousness he let off confused me until I heard a nearby bush rustle and a twig snap from the same direction. How Caleb was able to hear anything before I could, I didn't know, but right now my instincts took over. I took a step forward to stand between the bush and my friends, ready to defend my companions.

"Who's there?" I growled and braced myself for the possible battle while I tried to read the thing behind the shrub. There was a few seconds of silence before a creature covered in nothing but pure white fur that greatly contrasted its ebony black muzzle.

"An Absol" I muttered, slightly surprised to see the mountainous canine so far from their natural habitat. The Pokémon looked at me with a blank, emotionless, expression that sent a chill down my spine, but I made sure not to show it.

"What's that Pokémon?" Caleb asked himself as he pulled out his Pokédex and scanned the Absol.

" _ **Absol, the disaster pokemon, it is said to be able to sense natural disasters before they occur, making it a target."**_ The Dex said in its robotic female voice.

"What are you doing so far from the mountains?" I asked the Absol, ignoring everyone else to focus on the Pokémon. It said nothing for a minute and continued to stare past my eyes and into my soul.

"I came here in search of a worthy opponent" it stated in a calm female voice. Her emotionless face changed into a slightly amused smile. "It seems I have found something more though."

"What do you mean?" I asked, not fully understanding her words.

"Unlike most of my species, I have a desire to be captured." She stated, making me tilt me head.

"May I ask why?" she was seriously confusing me now. Most Pokémon try and avoid capture at all costs, at least that's what Lee had told me from his brief stay in the wild, so why she wanted it was suprising to say the least.

"Pokémon that are under a trainers wing can be much stronger than those in the wild. I wanted to become stronger as well, but I will only be captured by one I deem worthy." She narrowed her eyes at me and crouched down in a fighting stance. "I wish to challenge you and your human in battle."

I glanced back at Caleb and got into my stance as I waited for my trainers order. He hadn't heard any of our conversation, but I hoped he was at least smart enough to catch on to my body language.

"Does it want to battle? Alright then, let's do this!" Caleb exclaimed, suddenly getting pumped up from mere thought of a battle. I chuckled at his eagerness and cracked my neck as I stared the Absol down. "Ready Aaron?"

' _On your command'_ I replied, receiving a large grin as he held his hand out.

"Let's start things off with Quick Attack!" I nodded and shot myself off the ground and straight towards the Absol. I closed the distance between us quickly and prepared to ram her, but she suddenly disappeared before my eyes. I didn't even get a chance to look for her before I felt her sucker punch me in the back.

'Foul Play' I cringed and spun around with my leg high, delivering a strong kick to her head. It dazed her a little and gave me time to back off and recover. I knew that dark type moves weren't very effective against fighting types, but that still stung.

"Crap...Quick Attack again!" I wasn't about to argue and did as commanded, but again failed when Absol blinked out of existence. "Now, Force Palm directly behind you!"

I spun on my toes with a charged Force Palm and shot my arm forward, causing a small explosion from contact with my opponent. The attack, like it always did, sent her flying back, but she was recovered easily and landed gracefully on her paws.

"Not a bad hit, your pretty strong" she complimented while bending her neck, "Then again, you are a fighting type."

"Type ain't got nothing to it" I smirked, causing her to giggle.

"Confident are we, I like that, shows you have spirit." When she finished that sentence is when I suddenly found myself planted face first into the dirt. I rolled out of the way of a large Shadow Ball and pushed myself back onto my feet. "But will it be enough?"

"Aaron, you ok?" Caleb shouted to me, receiving my version of a thumbs-up. He didn't say anything else afterwards, making me very anxious, but I trusted him enough. That's when the silence came, both of us simply staring the other down without even uttering a single word. I could hear everyone waiting with baited breath as we stood there...waiting. That's when she disappeared again, but I was more than prepared.

"Not this time!" I growled and back flipped over Absol and landed on her back. She looked back at me with a mix of surprise and horror while I gave her a very sinister smirk before hitting her neck with another Force Palm. She cried out painfully as she dropped onto the ground, completely paralyzed.

It seems the legendary Mew was kind enough to leave me the knowledge of where all the Pokémon pressure points were located. Good for me, not so much for her, since she was now forced to just look up at me without being able to move a muscle.

"Amazing...Aaron, how did you find the pressure point, you know how hard that is to hit!?" Caleb yelled excitedly before calming himself down and giving me the final move. "Lets end this with a bang, Blaze Kick!"

I decided to have mercy on her and didn't put my full power into it, simply hitting her hard enough to knock her out, nothing more. I didn't revel in the victory, instead I flagged Caleb down and pointed to the Absol, hopefully getting my point across without using telepathy. Its harder than it looks to use it actually, so I try not to after battles.

"Want me to catch it?" he asked, receiving a excited nod from me. He smiled down and reached into his bag, pulling out the classic Pokéball and tossing it over onto Absol. She was sucked up instantly and offered no resistance as the ball dinged to signal a successful capture.

"Awesome, I got an Absol!" He shouted and held up the ball into the air triumphantly while Lilly jumped up beside him with a gleeful yip. The little spectacle made me sweat drop as it looked almost exactly like it did in the show.

' _Can you let her out please?'_ I asked, making him stop his celebration and release the Absol from her ball. I thanked him and walked over to the larger Pokémon as she licked her paw, trying to get the dirt from the battle out of her fur.

"Not bad kid, guess you beat me" she said and moved to her other paw, cleaning and straightening out her white coat. She didn't look even a little bit upset about the battle, which relieved most of my new found worries. In fact, she even seemed happy about the results, carrying a small smile on her muzzle as she spoke to me.

"I guess, you weren't bad yourself, if I didn't have the advantage then theirs no guarantee I'd have won." I said, making her smile widen.

"Thought you said that type didn't have anything to do with your battle" she reminded, making me rub the back of my head.

"I tend to talk big in battle, it's kinda my strategy."

"I get it, make the opponent mad so they make mistakes, they do not think things through. It's a favorite among dark types, and some fighting types." I nodded my head and looked back to Caleb as he continued his celebration from the battle and because he had a new teammate by his side. "Your very fond of him, are you not?"

"He's a good kid, little on the rash side, needs to learn when to keep his mouth shut, but his hearts in the right place." I told her as and looked back at her to see her looking at him has well. Her eyes sized him up, trying to get a read on him.

"I see...yes...perhaps he will be a fine trainer for me." She smiled and leaned down over me, giving me a small lick behind the ear, "Thanks for the battle."

I stared at her wide eyes and rubbed my paw over where she licked. I didn't understand Pokémon much in terms of behavior, but I knew that it was a sign of affection. Which affection, I had no clue, I hoped it was not the one I was thinking of.

"Yeah...n-no problem" I smiled nervously with a blush on my muzzle. This made her giggle in amusement before she suddenly stopped with eyes wide open. I was about to ask what was wrong until I saw her horn glowing faintly.

"We should stop her for the night, rain is coming" she warned.

"Rain...that's all, no disaster?" She shook her head and looked back up at the sky where dark grey clouds were beginning to gather.

"It will be if we continue on the road now" I shrugged but decided to take her word for it since disasters were her department. I relayed the information to everyone and helped set up camp for the night. The campsite didn't consist of much, just two tents and a small fire pit in the middle of it.

"So...you got a name?" I asked the Absol curiously as I sat next to the fire with Lilly at my side and my new teammate across the flames while our huan companions went about making their meals.

"I have no title, my parents did not deem it necessary to give me a name" she answered, taking me aback. What parent wouldn't name their child, to give them their own sense of individuality.

"Oh...well...would you mind if I named you?" she looked a little surprised at the offer and pondered over it in her head before giving me a nod in affirmation. I smiled and gazed into the fire with a look of deep concentration. I ran names through my head for a few minutes before looking back at her. Her ruby eyes stared back at me patiently as I examined her form from her horn to her snow white fur, that's when it hit me.

"Yuki" I muttered, making her tilt her head curiously and lean a little closer to me.

"What was that?" she asked, not quite hearing what I had said.

"Yuki...it means 'snow' I think...I just thought of it because of your fur." She turned to the fire with a small smile before standing back up on her feet and padding over to me.

"I love it, thank you" she said and nuzzled me affectionately, making me blush slightly. I smiled and nuzzled her back, making her give off a small laugh. She pulled back and sat down next to me, towering over me with a protective aura around her. I wondered where this behavior was suddenly coming from, but passed it off as some sort of instinct Absol had.

"Ok everyone, were going to bed, where do all of you wanna sleep?" Caleb asked us while holding all of our Pokéballs out to us. We made no move to hit them, so he guessed that we wanted to sleep outside.

"Alright, into the tent then." He said while holding the tent flap open for us. It was pretty easy to find a comfortable spot and I, after bidding everyone a good night, curled up next to Lilly's. I was surprised when I felt Yuki do the same as her larger frame curled around us, surrounding me and Lilly with her warmth. I now found myself covered in fur and cozy warm between the two females. That fact made me blush, but just smiled and settled down in my furry cocoon for some much needed sleep.

 **See y'all next time**


	12. Chapter 12

**Once more, you grace me with your presence, hello everyone. I hope everyone is having a good day, I know I am cause I just hit over 3,000 views. I wanted to personally thank all of you for your constant support.**

 **Now onto the story.**

"Will you stop that!" I yelled and shoved Yuki away from my head. The disaster Pokémon was currently holding me between her paws as she 'groomed' me. The canine had been on the team for not even five hours and she was already treating me like her pup. Her actions confused me greatly, but I tried to pay it no mind at first, now it was just getting straight up weird.

"No, you are filthy and we can not have you dirtying up this clean house" she replied and went back to licking my head. The house she was referring to was the one owned by Ashley's sister Clair, which we quickly tracked down after entering Ambrette town. The girl was almost a complete duplicate of Ashley, despite being about six years older than her.

I growled quietly so the Absol wouldn't hear and submitted myself to my fate, just sitting there with my arms crossed and an annoyed frown on my muzzle while the strange Pokémon doted over me. I heard Lilly and Lee giggle at my predicament and shot them a hard glare that just made them laugh louder.

"It was really nice of you to drop by for a visit sis" I heard Clair's voice say as she and Ashley walked into the living room with Caleb following close behind.

"I just thought I'd come say hi while I was here, and I also wanted to pick up my little Sakura here" Ashley said, gesturing to a Froakie that was perched on her shoulder. The Pokémon had immediately assaulted Ash upon opening the door, surprising all of us and almost receiving a high powered flamethrower from a frightened Lilly. Ever since then, the frog had never left her trainers side, or ever really leaving her shoulder. "Did she behave while I was gone?"

"Of course, she was a perfect little angel" she answered with a happy smile and patted Sakura's head. The frog smiled at Claire's touch and pushed her head into her hand to get a little more attention. It was rather cute from my perspective, almost like a puppy wanting more love from it's master.

'Speaking of masters' I looked over at Caleb to see him sitting on a recliner, calmly rubbing Lee's head while watching the sisters catch up. I tilted my head slightly, looking back in front of me where he had been seconds prior. That's when I remembered that he could teleport, a very useful and very annoying ability. I tried to get up and explore the house while I let everyone talk amongst themselves, but found myself pinned down by two white furred paws.

"Like I said, you are not leaving my side until your clean." Yuki stated, reaffirming her hold on me to show I was not getting up till she deemed me ready to.

"But I am clean...and why are you even doing this?"

"Because I have always wanted a pup of my own, and I sensed a bit of myself in you." She answered, confusing me greatly. Saw herself in me, the heck does that mean. "I know that this may be a little difficult for you to understand, but when Absol sense potential in another, then we will care and protect them till we deem them ready. It is simply a natural way for me to act this way towards you, my instincts demand it."

So its in her nature huh...makes a bit more sense now, but I still didn't have to like it. I struggled to break myself away from the larger canine, but it proved to be futile as she held me down with almost no effort. How she was stronger than me, I would never know, I chalked it up to her larger size to try and save at least a little of my pride. This was also in vain as she gave me a few more licks behind my ears, tossing the rest of my manhood out the window.

"At least I won't have to give you a bath tonight Aaron" Caleb laughed out receiving, an angry glare from me.

' _yeah, yeah, laugh it up.'_ I growled and relaxed against Yuki's chest while she kept on grooming me.

"So ador-"

' _Do not finish that sentence'_ I snapped, making Clair suddenly go mute. She and her sister were too much alike for my comfort. One Ashley was more than enough, two is gonna drive me insane. Luckily, Lilly noticed my annoyance and walked up beside me and nuzzled me to calm me down.

"Easy Aaron, no need to get all worked up" she said in a soothingly soft voice that brought a smile to my lips. She smiled back and laid down in front of me, trapping me between her and Yuki like I was last night.

"You look comfortable" I heard a new voice say beside me and recognized it as Sakura's.

"Yep, living the life" I chuckled and flicked Lilly's ear fur, making her giggle and scoot closer to me. Yuki had long since finished her grooming and was now laying there, watching us contently with a small smile. I waited for one of them to say something, but wasn't very surprised when they never uttered another word.

Sakura was the strong silent type, only talking when she deemed it necessary. I'm amazed that she actually spoke, but at least I was able to hear her voice in then first place.

"So how's your journey been so far?" I heard Clair ask her sibling. I decided to listen in on their conversation since there was little else to do, seeing as I was pretty much stuck under the pile of fur.

"Its been pretty good, not to much has happened though, actually kind of boring now that I think about it."

"So does that mean I'm a boring traveling partner?" Caleb asked in a mock hurt voice. Ashley didn't catch onto his act and held her hands up in a placating manner.

"N-no, of course not Caleb" she stuttered out, making me chuckle. This girl can be pretty slow sometimes, and its just so amusing to see her like this. I know it might sound cruel, but seeing her squirm like that never failed to bring a grin to my face. Caleb likely shared my thoughts, seeing as how he seemed to enjoy her reaction for a minute before putting her at ease.

"Relax girl, I was just kidding." He chuckled and reached over to put a hand on her shoulder. She blushed and kept from looking at him as she tried to make herself as small as possible. Her embarrassment was overwhelming and I couldn't stop myself from burying myself in Yuki's and Lilly's fur. Yuki giggled and nuzzled the top of my head while pulling me further under her in an effort to hide me from the emotions.

"I gotta learn to control this" I murmured and pulled Lilly closer, effectively hiding me away under their warm fur. I was still able to look at everyone from a small break in the furry barrier and decided to keep watching the show.

It looks like Ash had gotten over her embarrassment and was now explaining all of our little adventure in detail. I instantly tuned them out after this discovery and turned back around, only to come face-to-face with a familiar Ralts. I yelped in surprise and held a paw over my chest, feeling it nearly burst from my chest.

"Hello big brother" Lee happily greeted and wrapped his small arms around me in a hug. I didn't return it at first, still trying to get my heart to where it won't threaten to kill me, but his happiness only seemed to grow from my actions.

"Why did I ever help you learn Teleport?" I sighed, hugging him back after finally getting myself under control. He just gave me a childish giggle and siddled up next to me, closing his eyes and falling asleep in seconds. He was kind of a lazy Pokémon, that's why he always wanted to travel in his ball.

'Gotta admit, he looks pretty cute like that' I smiled and rubbed his head.

' _I know, its just so adorable'_ I heard the voice of my legendary torturer say. I internally winced at the sound of her voice, making her giggle.

'Hello Mew' I groaned already feeling the headache coming on.

' _Hello Aaron, your looking quite comfortable'_ she snickered.

'It was better before a certain little pink cat decided to crash the party.'

' _Oh come on, don't be like that, I thought we were friends'_ she said, trying to sound hurt, but failing miserably.

'Oh yes, I love being friends with individuals that manage to annoy me in less than two sentences.' I replied sarcastically while holding a paw to my head to ease my sudden migraine. She giggled again and I suddenly found myself falling asleep, despite me not being the slightest bit drowsy. I ended up fighting a losing battle as my eyes grew heavier and I snuggled up under the warm fur of my teammates until I finally blacked out.

All I saw was darkness all around me. The world around me was completely empty and each little noise I made seemed to echo through the emptiness. The eerie nothingness seemed to stretch on forever in all directions.

"What...the hell?" I whispered, but the silence almost made it sound like I had shouted at the top of my lungs. That's when I heard it again, that same freaking sound that drove me mad so many times before...a freaking giggle.

"Oh come now, no need for such coarse words" Mew teased before appearing seemingly out of no where in front of me. I offered her no reaction as I stared at her with a very annoyed look while she just stared back, amused.

"Really Aaron...nothing...not even a hello?" she pouted, adding a quiver to her lips for effect. Again, I did nothing except stare at her, now just looking bored. She kept at it until she finally realized she wasn't getting anything from me, immediately switching back to her annoyingly cheerful self.

"What do you want?" I asked after a few minutes of her twirling in the air around me. She stopped in her tracks and smiled at me.

"He speaks, hooray" she cheered at her accomplishment and did a little back flip in the air before finally settling down before me. The headache was only getting worse now and, if she weren't a legendary, I would have already smacked her to shut her up.

"Yay, it's a freaking miracle" I sarcastically replied and sat down on the seemingly invisible platform of pure darkness. "Now seriously, what do you want?"

"I just wanted to talk, is that really such a bad thing?" she then looked at me with a small smirk on her face after hearing me growl at her question. "Besides, I'm sure your curious about your transformation."

I immediately perked up when I heard this. I had wanted to know about the event revolving around that event since I got here, and the desire to know only grew when she mentioned it in my Pokéball a few days ago.

"That's what I was looking for, you perked up like a Patrat" she giggled. My eye twitched when she said this because, whether she knew it or not, she was stalling. She must have seen my change in attitude and quickly calmed herself down to avoid angering me any further.

"Let's start from the beginning yeah? First off, I'd like to tell you a little about your life before you came to our world like this," She gestured to my new body, "Your real name is Alex Walker, an everyday high school student living in the small town of Hahira Georgia. You were in the top of your class with some of the best grades in the history of your school, but you were always depressed because you felt like you were missing something." She started, floating aimlessly while she told me about my past life.

"You lived everyday in a loop, always the same mundane schedule with very little excitement in your life. In fact, you had just turned eighteen when you died-"

"Wait, I died?" I interrupted, looking at her surprised.

"Yep, you were dead as a doornail when Arceus decided to have mercy on you. He saw that you had a pure heart and great potential, but he couldn't simply bring you back from the dead as a human since your true body was damaged beyond repair after the wreck. So he did the next best thing and gave you a second chance as a Pokémon." She finished, now resting on my head. I didn't bat her off since I was a little busy processing what she had told me.

"So...I should be dead right now?" I muttered and looked down at my paws. I was given a second chance...and I couldn't help but feel like I didn't deserve to be brought back.

"You were more than worthy Aaron" Mew said, most likely reading my thoughts, and moved down till she was only inches from my snout. "You were a good person who always held others well-being before your own. You love to help people and you hate seeing them sad. I could go on and on about why you deserve another shot, but you need to see that you have found favor with a perpetual god." She told me as she stared directly in my eyes. Her sky blue eyes bore into my own soul as she kept ahold of me.

All I could do was stare back before a small smile formed on my lips and I did something I never thought I would, I hugged her. She was taken by surprise when I suddenly wrapped my arms around her, but she quickly got over it and eagerly returned it.

"Thanks Mew...for telling me at least a little about who I was." She smiled and nodded after breaking the hug and giggling again.

"No problem...and don't worry about the rest of your memories. Everything will come back eventually, you just have to give it time. I would have told you more, but this is the most Arceus would allow me to say." She suddenly disappeared from sight and I heard a her voice pop into my head.

' _Now I believe its time to wake up...and don't worry, we'll be seeing each other real soon'_ she giggled before a bright light suddenly engulfed me and I was thrown back into the real world.

"Come on big brother, its time to get up" I heard Lee tell me softly while he shook me to try and wake me up. I let out a quiet yawn and stretched out on the floor to try working out the stiffness, hearing a few satisfying pops from my spine. I didn't feel nearly as warm as I did when I fell asleep so I had guessed that Yuki and Lilly were already up and about. "Were about to head out."

"Alright, alright, thanks bud" I muttered and shakily rose to my feet while rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I felt him holding me up with his Physic after I lightly stumbled over my own feet in my half-awake state. I smiled and thanked him before following the sound of voices coming from the kitchen and walked in to see Caleb, Ashley, and Clair taking to each other while Yuki and Lilly were no where to be found.

"Hey Aaron, have a nice nap?" Caleb asked and patted my head softly. I just barked out a yes since I was still to drowsy to use my telepathy. "Now what were you saying Clair?"

"I was asking you if you could do me a favor" she told him before holding out something that looked like a large white oval with big green spots dotting it.

"Whoa, is that?"

"Yep, it's a Pokémon egg" She answered with a happy smile, proudly showing off the egg. "I just got it from one of my breeder friends in Kanto, he ended up sending me two, but I know I won't be able to keep two new little Pokémon with my busy schedule. So I thought that I'd give one of them to you."

"I...I don't know what to say." Caleb said, completely dumbstruck as he took the egg after she enjoyed it towards him.

"Maybe a thank you" she giggled and smiled at the boy. Caleb stared down at the egg in his arms before holding it securely to his chest.

"Right...thanks Clair, I promise to take good care of it." He swore to her, making her smile widen as she nodded to him before suddenly grappling her sister and holding her in a headlock.

"Now you better come back to visit you hear, and give me a call every once in a while, I worry" she said while giving her sister a noogie. Ashley laughed loudly while she and her sister wrestled around for a few minutes while me and Caleb watched on in amusement. It was good to see that they had such a good bond, it showed that they truly cared for each other.

"Ok, I promise, I promise" she laughed out, hoping to appease her sister. It seemed to work as she released her before trapping her again in a heartfelt hug.

"I love you sis, be careful out there, and don't forget to have fun."

"Got it, love you to" She told her before stepping up next to Caleb and telling him that she was ready to go. He nodded and returned Lee to his ball and making sure everyone was present and accounted for before we all finally made our way off the property and got back on the road to continue our journey.

 **Looks like we learned a little more about Aaron's backstory, and now we have a new little mystery on our hand's. What will hatch from the egg, I don't even know yet, isn't that just so exciting.**

 **Be honest, not what you were expecting from Yuki, am I right. I wanted to amuse myself so I decided that I'd make her that kind of person...Pokémon...whatever.**

 **That's all I gotta say for now folks, chow.**


	13. Chapter 13

**I'll be straight with you, this chapter is pretty much just for shits-n-giggles. This chapter doesn't have to be read too follow the story, but I just felt like writing it.**

 **Why did I write it? Simple, because I can. I wanted to amuse myself, sue me. If your still set on reading it, then good on you and I hope you enjoy it.**

"Christ that hurt" I groaned while holding onto my side as I slowly picked myself up from the floor. I crawled out of the small crater that had formed under me after a powerful Psycho Cut slammed me into the ground. On the other side of the field stood a smug looking Absol that looked quite content with herself.

"You were too slow" she smirked, making me growl quietly.

"Shut up Yuki" I shouted, making her chuckle at my anger. I huffed and breathed in slowly to calm myself. She was using the taunting tactic that all dark types were famous for, and one that I used adamantly. The fact that one of my favorite tactics was working on me made me even angrier, but I couldn't let my emotions get the best of me.

I closed my eyes and controlled my breathing to control my emotions. I focused my senses and opened my eyes slowly before looking back at Yuki with an evil grin, then I was running at her again. She still had that confident smirk on her muzzle as she threw another Psycho Cut at me. I anticipated her attack and swung my leg around with my foot burning bright. My Blaze Kick negated all damage from her attack and kicked up dirt to form a heavy dust cloud that I used as cover to close in on her.

I swung a force palm at her, only to hit air. I blinked in surprise before narrowing my eyes and throwing a Blaze Kick at her as she dropped down behind me to hit me with a night slash. My leg and her scythe connected with a loud boom that blew away the dirt and knocked us both back.

"What's wrong Yuki, where's that confidence from before?" I taunted, my paws digging into the dirt in anticipation. She growled at me this time as she crouched low, ready to charge at me, but her look of rage soon turned back to that same smug look as she fazed from existence. I only had a minute to try and figure out where she was before I flew forward from a hard hit to the back. I was barely able to catch myself as I slid across the ground before planting a paw on the ground and flipping back onto my feet.

"Do not get too full of yourself." She laughed before shooting her head to the side after a loud whistle rang through the field.

"You've both been at it for at least half and hour, come back and rest up for a minute." Caleb called out to us. We glanced at each other and nodded, walking over to the middle of the field and clapped paws, the equivalent of a handshake for Pokémon.

"Good battle Yuki, you were holding out during your first battle weren't you?" I smiled and sat down against her side after we had reached their others. She smiled after hearing me ask this and nuzzled me lightly.

"Perhaps...there is a small chance I may have allowed you to win with minimal effort." She replied, that cheeky smile still on her muzzle.

"You go above and beyond to speak so proper, don't you?" I chuckled and patted her head before crossing both arms over my chest with my eyes closed, enjoying the warmth running through my fur from the sun.

"I was raised by my mother to talk the way she did, do not judge me by my speech." She said and curled up around me, moving me around so I was using her side as a pillow. I cracked an eye open to see her smiling face looking down at me for a minute until she decided to rest her heads between her paws.

"...So...how do you think we'll do in the battle against this towns gym leader, Grant was his name?" I asked, legitimately curious about her opinion on our chances. We had been training almost nonstop since we reached Cyllage city in preparation of the of the upcoming battle, and I'm pretty sure we stood a good chance.

Yuki looked up to the sky thoughtfully before answering with a shrug. "I can not guarantee we will win, but I do believe our chances are quite high. The fact that you are a fighting type will give us a distinct advantage, but Lilly will be at a disadvantage. I do know that Master Caleb will avoid using Lee during the battle, even though it may harm him in the long run."

I couldn't argue with her there. I knew that Lee wouldn't be part of this battle since he still only knows Confusion and Teleport and his defense could still use some work. That left me, Yuki, and Lilly as the ones that would be doing the fighting. The gym leader specializes in rock types, or ground types, I'm not really sure. Either way I was effective against both, Yuki would do decently since she had no strong disadvantages and her hit still hurt, then there was Lilly. She's definitely not the best choice against that typing, but she was still fast and could definitely pack a punch despite lacking extremely effective moves.

"It will be quite interesting so see how he deals with this, will it not?"

"Maybe, I just hope he doesn't rely on me to do all the fighting. I love a good battle, but I ain't crazy." Yuki hummed in agreement, but did nothing else in the form of a response. That sparring match must have really taken it out of her, even I felt tired and worn out from our training session.

"Don't be getting too comfortable you two, were heading back too the Pokémon center in a few minutes." Caleb informed, making me groan in protest.

' _But I don't wanna go daddy'_ I whined and stared back act him with a pouty face. It seems that he finally got the meaning of sarcasm since he looked back at me, unamused. I changed my pout into a smirk and gave him a wink before settling back down on Yuki's side.

"Aaron...don't make me get Lilly." I got up so fast that it made his head spin. I knew that wasn't a bluff and I didn't feel like getting a flamethrower to the face again. He laughed at my reaction and gestured for me to come over to him which I, begrudgingly, did. "Oh stop pouting, I have to brush all that dirt off you before Ash has a conniption."

We both shuddered at the thought of Ashley getting on us. The girl was a bit of a neat freak that insisted that Caleb brush or clean us after every battle so we didn't look 'wild' as she put it. I wasn't complaining since it made Caleb brush me every now and then. It was a lot better than what Yuki thought was the best way to clean us. The crazy canine treated us all like we were her children, something we didn't really like but was slowly getting used to.

' _So when do you think that egg will hatch?'_ I asked when I felt the brush start traveling down my neck. I glanced over to the egg that sat on the table beside me curiously. There really isn't a way to know what kind of Pokémon would come from it, that made me excited and anxious.

"No idea, can't wait to see what it hatches into though." I hummed in agreement and closed my eyes, releasing a moan after he hit a sweet spot that sent a pleasured tingle down my spine. I felt like I was being watched and peeked an eye out to see Yuki standing only feet in front of me with an envious look.

"What's up Yuki?" Caleb asked, reaching out and patting her head. She reached up and started pawing at the brush, almost knocking it from his hand. "What, you want me to brush you to?"

"Sol" she said, not bothering to really even speak to him, before shaking her head and biting the brush. She ripped the brush from his grasp and tossed it into the middle of the field. I yelped when I was grabbed by my scruff and dragged away from my trainer before finding myself in between Yuki's paws.

"Yuki! What the hell?! " I shouted and started to get back up to my feet. In felt her paw hold me down as she curled around me tightly.

"Only I have permission to groom you until you evolve." She stated and licked my head, much to my chagrin. My eye twitched when I heard Caleb laughing at my predicament.

' _Put her in her ball please'_ I begged while looking over at my trainer pleadingly. He just smirked and shook his head before taking out his Pokédex and ignoring us completely. I whined feeling her tongue instead of the pleasurable bristles of the brush.

"Now how are we going to deal with Grant?" I heard him ask and looked over to see his head down and his eyes closed in concentration. "I can use Aaron as my trump card, but I want to give the others a chance to battle."

"Your over thinking things" Ashley said before sitting down next to Caleb. She was holding a few small bags she must have bought after her little expedition into town.

"I have to over think this, if I don't, then I won't have a decent strategy." He replied before releasing a frustrated sigh. "Problem is, I don't know anything about Grant's battling style."

"Your really going to let that stop you?" Ash smiled and placed her hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "Don't stress yourself out over it, just go with your gut."

Caleb didn't pick his head up to acknowledge her, showing he was still too lost in his own mind. I nudged Yuki and pointed over at him, receiving a nod. I pushed myself up off the ground and padded over to Caleb and tapped his leg to get his attention.

' _Try not to hurt yourself master.'_ I advised when he finally acknowledged me. I could still sense the stress he was letting off accompanied by a strong feeling of worry. I smiled at this and lightly punched his leg.

' _What, you worried we'll do anything less than amazing?'_ I laughed, making a small smile replace that worried frown.

"Confident as ever I see" he chuckled, patting my head before releasing a tired sigh an sticking his hands into his pockets. He wasn't any less stressed, but I could tell that it wouldn't last much longer. Then that's when the little pyromaniac herself appeared to save the day. We all chuckled at the energetic Fennekin as she climbed all over Caleb to get him laughing. She knew exactly what would cheer him up, most likely because she knew him better than almost any of us.

"Ok Lilly, calm down girl." He laughed, unable to handle so much fox at once. She didn't relent though and kept on nuzzling and licking him for a few more minutes before hopping down and sitting at his feet.

"You need to stop worrying yourself over this, we'll do fine." She said and looked back at me. I just rolled my eyes and translated for her.

"That's what these two have been telling me, but I just can't help it." He sighed and put his head in his hands. I just looked at him disappointed, he's letting the stress get to him. We went over this before, I thought he had this side of his emotions under reigns when it comes to battles, seems I was wrong.

' _Caleb, I don't like being proven wrong'_ I stated calmly, my head down to look like I wasn't speaking to him. I smiled a bit when I saw his worry replaced by confusion, a good start. _'Don't let the stress get to you.'_

"But I just don't know of were ready yet" he said, making me chuckle.

' _Bud, you can never truly be ready for anything, you just gotta roll with the punches.'_ I held my paw out towards him. _'Now stop stressing and over it, we got this.'_

He smiled down at me and lightly bumped my fist with his own with a nod. The stress he let off was gone now, much to my relief, and was replaced with an ever growing confidence.

"Your right Aaron, just have to deal with things as they come. No more stressing over it, we'll get that badge, no matter what." He said confidently. I grinned and nodded before tackling him to the ground.

' _Just to make sure, let's give you something else to worry about!'_ I shouted and pinned him to the dirt. He immediately struggled in my hold and I couldn't help but laugh at him. It was hilarious seeing a two foot, forty-four pound Riolu pinning a boy that was at least twice as much as that in both of those departments.

"Hey, get off, let me go" he yelled through his laughter. I just gave him a mock growl and tightened my grip before feeling a firm pressure on the back of my neck, then the feeling of weightlessness.

"No, not again" I cried and tried prying myself from her jaws, but like every other time I tried, I only succeeded in going myself out. I heard her muffled laughter at my attempt to break free before I was placed and held on the ground by a her after she curled around me tightly.

"I just cleaned you" she sighed in disappointment and started licking me again. I whined at her treatment while Caleb was too busy laughing his ass off. I narrowed my eyes and reached out to grab a small pebble off the ground. I took aim and chucked the little rock as hard as I could, receiving a pained cry after it made contact with him. That's when I felt a small fireball pelt me on the side of my head.

"Ow!" I yelped and rubbed my charred fur, which was quickly cleaned by an over obsessive Absol.

"Don't mess with my trainer!" Lilly shouted as she stormed up to me. I gulped and actually found myself backing into Yuki in fear. Lilly looked none too pleased with me right now, and her aura definitely showed it. Then she took a compete one-eighty and started rolling around in the dirt, laughing harder than Caleb had.

'She's freaking bipolar man, gonna give me a dang heart attack.' I sighed and let my head fall on Yuki's side. It's a miracle I haven't already been killed by all of these people, all the way from Lilly's mood swings concerning Caleb and Lee's constant jump scares. Speaking of the little physic-fairy type.

"BROTHER!" I suddenly felt the familiar weight of a Ralts landing on my chest, knocking the air from my lungs. I coughed for a bit before greedily sucking in air, trying and fill my lungs back up before they collapsed.

"Lord have mercy on me." I whimpered and closed my eyes. I heard Yuki chuckle and nuzzle my head lightly before going back to her grooming. I wanted to tell her to stop, but at this point, I just stopped caring.

'These Pokémon are going to be the death of me.'

 **There you go, hope you enjoyed.**

 **Bigshot, out**


	14. Chapter 14

**Welcome back everyone, glad you could join us. I hope you have enjoyed the last few chapters, and I hope you enjoy this one.**

 **Before we start, I would like to thank you all once again for reading and doing whatever it is you wanna do here. Now onto the story.**

"This is it, the Cyllage City gym" Caleb muttered, his body nearly trembling from the excitement. We were literally steps away from the doors of the gym and closing in fast. The boy was giddy as a little school girl and, when we reached the doors, nearly tore them off their hinges before making his way in. That's when he stopped dead in his tracks when he laid eyes on what the building housed.

A large rock-wall standing at least fifty feet tall sat before us and I swear I heard Caleb gulp. I could feel the fear suddenly taking over when he saw how tall it was.

'Must not be a fan of heights' I concluded before perking my ears and looking straight up. I felt someone else up there and was proven right when a loud whistle echoed off the walls.

"HOY, UP HERE" I heard a man shout from above and squinted my eyes to see someone waving us down. From what I could make out from her, he looked to be a dark skinned man with gems in hair, which was kind of done up to stand on its own. "ARE YOU HERE TO CHALLENGE THE GYM?"

"YES" Caleb shouted back instantly with his hand cupped around his mouth to amplify his voice.

"WELL THEN, YOU HAVE TWO CHOICE'S, THE CLIMB, OR THE ELEVATOR" he told us while holding an arm out to the metal elevator over on the side. I titled my head and looked back at Caleb curiously. The boy looked like he was at war with his own mind, his eyes darting between the rock-wall and the elevator.

' _Your choice bud, I'll stick with you no matter what'_ I said before he closed his eyes and relaxed his nerves. I could see confidence in his eyes as he stared the wall down.

"Ash, you go ahead and take the elevator, I'm climbing up" he said and walked over to the wall. He looked back at me with a smirk and started climbing up the wall as fast as possible. Looks like he wanted a race, probably to make him forget about his fears, and I would gladly oblige him. His smirk quickly disappeared when I just started leaping up the rock and looking down at him smugly. I decided to add salt to the wound and sat down on the little outcropping above him, waiting for him to make it up.

"Showoff" he muttered and resumed his climbing with me watching him. It gave me plenty of time to wonder about the gym, like how they let you climb a fifty foot rock-wall without safety equipment. As soon that thought crossed my mind, I heard something in the wall give and looked down to see that Caleb had lost his foothold and was struggling to balance himself against the wall. I sighed and hopped down, grabbing onto one of the holds, and reached a paw out to grasp his arm.

' _Don't worry, I gotcha'_ I said and pulled him up. I underestimated my own strength and ended up tossing him up onto the outcropping. He picked himself up and glared down at me before continuing the climb. He thankfully didn't lose his grip again and made it up to the top after a few more seconds of climbing.

' _Nice, thought I'd have to catch you again'_ I smirked after jumping up high and landing next to him. He just rolled his eyes and walked out to meet the man we saw from the ground level.

"Good job, most people just take the elevator, but where's the fun in that." The man said with a grin and held his hand out towards Caleb. "Pleasure to meet you, I'm Grant, the Cyllage City gym leader."

"Likewise, I'm Caleb and I'd like a gym battle please." He said politely after shaking the mans hand. Grant chuckled at the kids enthusiasm and swept his hand over the dirt battlefield behind him.

"Sure thing, you've worked pretty hard to get up here, so lets not keep you waiting." He replied and stepped away from us to take his place on his side of the field. I knew Caleb was getting nervous again and sighed when I felt stress start to take over.

' _Caleb, we've been over this, don't stress out over it.'_ I reminded him while transferring my feelings of calmness to help him out. He clinched his fists and exhaled, steeling his nerves and stepping up to his side.

"You ready for me Caleb" Grant taunted lightheartedly and grabbed a ball from his belt. Caleb nodded with a grin and held his hand over the balls on his belt, waiting to see what Grant would choose. The man smiled and reared his arms back, tossing the ball into the air and releasing the Pokémon inside.

I felt the temperature on the field drop a few degrees when a little blue dinosaur with rainbow colored, sail looking appendages over its eyes appeared onto the field. The Amaura looked around for a minute before its eyes set on Caleb and a large grin formed on its face.

"Yay, another challenger." It cheered in a high-pitched female voice that sounded a lot like a child. She must have been fairly young, which actually brought a small pang to my heart. Amaura were supposed to be extinct so she must have just reanimated from her fossil, also meaning that she had died fairly young.

"An Amaura, alright then" he said and grabbed a ball, tossing it up in the same fashion as Grant. Lilly popped out with a battle cry and immediately got into a fighting stance. I nodded my head in approval of his choice since Amaura was probably the only one Lilly would have been decent against.

'Ice and Rock, normally effective' I thought while linking the types in my head. Most people would have stuck with the type advantages, but as long as they avoided any ground type attacks, they should be fine.

"A fire type huh? Interesting." Grant said to himself quietly before he grinned and nodded to the referee over to the side.

"ALRIGHT, THE BATTLE BETWEEN GRANT, THE CYLLAGE CITY GYM LEADER, AND CALEB, THE CHALLENGER WILL NOW COMMENCE!" he shouted, making everyone tense. He paused for effect before dropping his hand. "BATTLE...BEGIN!"

"Your move Caleb" Grant offered, looking calm as ever while Amaura was shivering in anticipation.

"Right, Lilly, let's start off with flamethrower!" He ordered, making Lilly rear her head back and release a wide stream of fire towards her opponent.

"Aurora Beam!" Amaura quickly retaliated with a beam of sheer cold that connected with the flamethrower, completely cancelling out both attacks and filling the area in a mix of dirt and steam. Both the Pokémon seemed to disappear and I could just barely make their silhouettes behind the haze.

"Quick Attack!" Caleb called and I watched Lilly's shadow charge forward and slammed into Amaura, her unable to do anything since she was blind in the high temperature cloud. The force behind her hit was enough to clear some of the steam and for us to get a clear view of the field once again.

"Amaura, you doing alright?" Grant asked his partner, who was already starting to lose her breath. She hadn't been battling for more than maybe a minute, but the heat from the steam drastically increased her body temperature, which was not good for a Pokémon that required a nearly sub-zero temperature level.

"I'm...alright" she panted and got into her stance again, but I could tell she was about to drop. Grant looked at her worriedly, but nodded nonetheless.

"If your sure...ok, use Take Down!" She nodded and ran towards Lilly, but she was sluggish and struggling for breath.

' _End this quickly, she's obviously exhausted and I'm afraid she might hurt herself'_ I told Caleb, receiving a nod.

"Flamethrower again!"

"Dodge it!" Grant shouted, but Amaura was just too slow to escape the flames and took a direct hit to the chest, throwing her back and knocking her out instantly. I tilted my head curiously while staring at the downed Pokémon.

'That was way too easy' I thought and looked up at the Gym Leader, seeing him recall the Amaura and offering Caleb a sheepish smile.

"As you can see, I'm still trying to learn how to battle with Amaura. She's fairly new and I've never had any experience with dual Ice/Rock types." He admitted while rubbing the back of his head before taking another ball from his belt and tossing towards the field. "But this one, I know what to do, come out Tyrunt."

"A Tyrunt, another previously extinct species" I muttered and examined the prehistoric being that appeared on the field.

"Lilly, return" Caleb said and returned Lilly to her ball before grabbing the next ball on the belt and throwing it. "Your turn Yuki."

Yuki materialized onto the field, ready for her opponent. Grant looked a little surprised, either by Caleb's choice or the fact he had an Absol in the first place.

"Shadow Ball!" Caleb told her to start things off. The Absol nodded and opened her jaws, a sphere of pure darkness forming in her maw.

"Rock Tomb!" Grant ordered before large stones started appearing around it. There weren't that many, but they were more than enough to stop the Shadow Ball when they dropped down, creating a wall between them. "Now use Stomp!"

"Dodge and use Night Slash" Yuki did as commanded and easily dodged the Tyrunt as he landed heavily after his jump and swung her head towards it, her horn pulsing with dark energy.

"Quick, use Bite too grab it!"

'Uh-oh' I thought when Grant's Pokémon shot its head around and chomped down on Yuki's horn. Caleb's hands clenched into fists as he looked at the scene worriedly.

"Now slam it to the ground and use Stomp!" I winced when Yuki was lifted up and slammed back to the ground, hard. Then the Tyrunt jumped up and came back down fast with its foot down, ready to crush the Absol.

"Get out of there!" Yuki was luckily able to follow through with the command and jumped out of the way before she was flattened. "Now use Psycho Cut!"

She complied and threw a blade of physic energy into the dust cloud the Tyrunt had created from its impact. The attack hit and launched Tyrunt back a good few feet, but seemed to do little damage against it. It wasn't quick enough to react when Yuki followed up with a Shadow Ball that knocked it back a bit more and actually looked like it did some decent damage.

"Shake it off and use Bite!" Grant called, but it was pointless since Yuki had fazed out and sucker punched Tyrunt in the back when she used Foul Play.

"Alright, way to go girl, your doing awesome" Caleb cheered, making the Absol smile as she stared down her opponent. Grant now looked dead serious when he realized this battle was not going down in his favor.

"Rock Tomb, box it in!" large rocks surrounded Tyrunt again and it tossed them towards Yuki. Instead of hitting her though, they landed all around her instead, trapping her. "Now jump up and use Stomp!"

"Yuki, use Night Daze!" Caleb ordered, pulling out his trump card by using one of Yuki's strongest moves. She charged up as much energy as possible while Tyrunt rocketed towards her. She unleased her stored power at the same time as Tyrunt's foot connected with her. The resulting explosion was strong enough to shatter the stone prison and send dust out in all directions. I had to brace myself from the force of the blast to keep myself from flying back and held my arms over my eyes to protect them from the high speed stones.

When the dust cleared, we saw both Yuki and Tyrunt on the ground with swirls in their eyes. The referee took a minute to verify what he was seeing before saying anything.

"YUKI AND TYRUNT ARE UNABLE TO BATTLE, THIS MATCH IS A DRAW!" He called before both trainers returned their Pokémon to their balls.

"Great job Yuki, rest up girl, you earned it." He said to the ball before returning it to his belt and turning to look down at me. "Your up next Aaron, you ready?"

' _They won't even know what hit them'_ I told him confidently and walked onto the field while Grant was getting out his last Pokémon.

"A Riolu huh, this should be fun." Grant said with a grin and released his Pokémon. I felt my confidence drop drastically when an Onix appeared in front of me. I looked up at the large rock serpent seeing just how much larger it was compared to me.

'Well...this'll be...fun' I gulped, but tried to put on an air of confidence to hide my fear.

"Aaron, don't let its size intimidate you" I heard Caleb say from behind me. I knew he was just trying to help me, but him saying that when he wasn't the one fighting thirty foot rock type kinda defeated the purpose of his advice.

"Onix, Rock Tomb!" Grant yelled, making me even more nervous from the results. This attack made Tyrunt's look puny. The boulders were the size of an average house and could easily crush me if I made one wrong move. His plan seemed to be to trap me like he did with Yuki since the rocks started dropping all around me, but I had already figured out a way around this.

"Keep it up Aaron, get in close and use Force Palm!" I heard from Caleb as I kept jumping from rock to rock to avoid getting trapped, all while closing the distance between me and Onix. I reared my arm back after making the final jump and flying towards Onix with the intent of slamming my attack into his head.

"Iron Tail!"

"Oh crap!" was all I could say before I was sent back by the Onix hitting me hard with his hardened tail. I hit the ground hard and slid back on the dirt a few yards before righting myself and landing back on my feet.

"Quick Attack!" I sprinted back towards my opponent and avoided another Iron Tail so I could slam myself into its middle. I didn't do much damage, but it wasn't supposed to. I grinned and slammed a Force Palm into the same spot I had hit, causing the Onix to let out a pained screech before I slammed another Force Palm into it before getting shaken off and hit by its regular tail to increase the distance between us.

"Doing great bud, we got them on the ropes" Caleb cheered with a fist pump, making Grant let out a chuckle.

"Flash Cannon!" I struggled to avoid the attack as I dodged left to right when he started firing them in succession. I wasn't able to dodge them all though, and the one that connected might have been a full powered Hyper Beam with the force behind it.

"AARON!" Caleb called to me behind the dust and smoke, but I didn't really hear him. My body felt battered just from that one attack. The damage that Onix was able to do with its Flash Cannon was astronomical, way to powerful for anything like it. I was too stubborn too call it quits though and rose to my feet with a noticeable quiver in my legs.

"Aaron, you look way to hurt to keep battling, return" I wasn't about to argue with him over his command, seeing as his word was final in these types of situations. I limped back over to him and fell to my knees by his feet.

' _Watch out for the Flash Cannon, man that smarts.'_ I told him after I situated myself comfortably by hhisi side so I could cheer on Lilly.

"Alright Lilly, its all up to you, good luck girl" Caleb said to Lilly's ball before releasing her back onto the field. She formed on the field and looked back at me worriedly.

' _Don't worry about me, just make sure you show them who's the best fighter around.'_ I smiled and nodded to her, getting her to smile back and turn back to the field to stare at the Onix furiously.

"You hurt my mate now your gonna pay!" she growled out and widened her stance to try and look more intimidating. I swear I heard the thing chuckle at Lilly's threat as it stared back down at her in amusement.

"Lilly, Flamethrower!" Caleb ordered, sensing how restless Lilly was and starting the final battle of the challenge.

"Flash Cannon!" both sides shot their respective attacks out simultaneously and connect with enough force to even send the Onix back a few good feet. Lilly had been thrown back from the explosion, but easily caught herself and charged back towards it with Quick Attack.

"Rock Polish and follow up with Iron Tail!" Onix started to kind of sparkle and swung its tail towards Lilly. The speed of its swing made it nearly impossible to dodge and it slammed into Lilly's side, making her crash into the dirt hard enough to form a crater where she landed.

"LILLY!" Caleb and I shouted at the same time and watched Lilly struggle back onto her paws. I could tell that she was barely holding herself up as she wobbled from side to side with barely enough strength to Lee from collapsing.

"Lilly" Caleb muttered with a face of pure terror. Not only was his chances of getting the gym badge dwindling, but his first Pokémon was struggling just to avoid fainting.

"Sorry Caleb, it seems you aren't quite ready for the badge." Grant told Caleb sympathetically as he looked at Lilly before turning back to his partner. "Now let's finish this, Flash Cannon!"

Lilly still stood defiantly as the Onix charged its finishing attack. Not once did she look scared, she didn't even flinch when the beam sailed towards her. I stared at the scene with my teeth clenched in a mix of terror and anticipation as the attack hit, causing an explosion to shake the field.

"What the..." I said when I saw Lilly was still standing with a faint glow around her after the dust settled. My eyes widened and a large smile formed on my muzzle when I realized what was happening.

She was evolving.

The light coming from her started getting brighter until I had to look away to avoid going blind from its sheer intensity. When I looked back after the light faded, my little Fennekin was no longer there. In her place was a bipedal fox standing confidently with a stick between her paws. The end of the stick held a flame that glowed white from the sheer heat coming from it.

"Lilly...you evolved" Caleb said as he stared wide eyed at his partner.

"Into a beautiful Braixen" I finished, making a small blush form on her cheeks. She didn't acknowledge us any further though as she twirled her stick around, throwing it up in the air before catching it and twirling around with her stick pointing toward Onix. Before any of us knew what was happening, she had released her fire in a torrent of flames that rivaled the heat of the sun itself. The attack was simply too much for the already weakened Onix and it crashed down onto the field, unconscious.

I was shocked at the effectiveness of the attack and it took me a moment to realize what had just happened. When my mind finally caught up, I saw Caleb on the field embracing Lilly and spinning around with her in his arms. Lilly's laughter and happiness took over my mind as I walked over to the newly evolved Braixen.

"Aaron!" Lilly shouted leaping from Caleb's arms and crashing into me. Her new size made her a good head taller than me and it showed when she hugged me, her muzzle resting on my head.

"Great job Lilly, you won, and you're a Braixen now" I congratulated and wrapped my arms around her. She murred happily at my words and nuzzled my head in thanks. We perked up at the sound of clapping and turned to look at Grant as he moved towards us.

"Congratulations Caleb, you challenged the mountain and, even when everything was starting to seem bleak, you and your partners kept on climbing and rose up to conquer the summit." He said with a large smile, coming to a stop in front of Caleb and taking out a small box. He opened the lid and revealed a small badge. "To commemorate your victory, I would like to award you with the cliff badge."

Caleb smiled in pure joy as he took the badge from the case and placed it inside of his badge carrier.

"Two badges, just six more and then were off to the Kalos League." Caleb said excitedly and held both me and Lilly in a strong hug. Before we knew it, Yuki had popped out of her ball and joined in on the hug. "Next stop, Shalour City."

"Oh, so you plan on challenging Korrina next? Grant questioned. "She specializes in fighting types, so make sure your prepared."

"We will, thanks Grant, for the battle and the badge." Caleb bowed to the man respectfully, all of us doing the same. He just smiled and patted Caleb's shoulder and walked us back to Ashley and then to the elevator.

"No need for thanks, you earned that badge and that battle was a lot of fun, now from what I've been hearing you've got a championship to win." He said and nudged Caleb onto the elevator. He smiled at the gym leader and bowed one last time as the elevator descended to the bottom level.

"Congrats to all of you, especially you Lilly, you look absolutely beautiful." Ashley complemented, receiving a blush from the Braixen. I grinned and wrapped my arm around her waist and felt the foreign presence of her new arm around me as well.

"She's not lying, I didn't think you could get any more stunning" I told her and rubbed my head on her side. She didn't give me a verbal response, just another blush and a giggle after she nuzzled the top of my head. "But now I feel even shorter."

"Don't worry, I like males that are shorter than me." I just rolled my eyes at that before looking back ahead of me at the door as the elevator reached the bottom.

'Fighting types are next huh? Should be interesting, maybe train Lee a bit more so he'll be able to fight.' I thought, already forming various training exercises for the Ralts. That train of thought was quickly derailed after a familiar, slightly wet, rubbing was felt behind my ears.

"Yuki, will you give it a rest?" I begged without turning to the Absol behind me as she groomed my head.

"Nope, your dirty again." she stated simply, making me sigh in annoyance.

'Of course I am, this is gonna be a long night.'

 **Done, cut and print. What did y'all think, good, could use improvement, what the hell is this crap, tell me what you think. Reviews, favs, follows, whatever you wanna leave is greatly appreciated.**

 **Bigshot, signing off**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hello all, welcome back. This chapter is kind of a quickie since I didn't have much inspiration and this is kind of a rush job to be honest.**

 **I'm not gonna bore you with the details, just go ahead and do what you came here to do.**

' _Caleb, I'm warning you, your gonna lose that hand if you keep doing that.'_ I mentally growled at my trainer as he kept shaking me to get me out of bed. Remember when I said I wasn't a morning person, well this time was definitely no different. The only difference was that I was especially irritable cause we had a battle only just yesterday, and I was pretty sore. The others got lucky since they chose to stay in their Pokéballs last night, so they never got a wake up call.

"I'm sorry Aaron, but you have to get up, we need to get back on the road." He told me with another shake. I whined in protest and curled up tighter, trying to make myself fall back asleep. I heard a sigh before my body was lifted from the bed and tucked to Caleb's chest. "What's up with you this morning bud, your never this grouchy in the morning?"

' _You try fighting a five-hundred pound living boulder, tooth and nail, and wake up perky as a freaking daisy.'_ I growled and settled myself in his hold.

"Lilly fought Onix too, and you don't hear her complaining." I cracked an eye open to glare at him before lazily waving my paw around.

' _I don't see, hear, smell, or feel Lilly, so its only natural you don't hear her complaining'_ and right as I said that, I hear the sound of a Pokéball popping open. I didn't have to look to see that it was Lilly, me already being pretty familiar with her aura.

"Good morning guys" she said cheerfully, making me groan. I can't stand cheery people in the mornings. I tolerate them because I try to be a nice person, but not this morning.

"Good morning Lilly" Caleb replied just as happily. I felt a paw lay gently on my side and rub me gently.

"You feeling alright hun?" Lilly asked me, her emotions leaning towards worry for me. I grunted tiredly, not even cracking my eyes open again to acknowledge her.

"Don't worry about him Lilly, he's just in a bad mood." Caleb laughed and removed me from his chest. I didn't complain when I felt two furry arms come under me to take the place of my trainers.

"Right, I forgot, your bigger than me now " I mumbled and nuzzled her chest fur. It didn't seem like she would have been able to carry me, at least with a little difficulty, but she didn't falter in her steps as she walked next to Caleb out of the room.

"Thanks for dealing with him Lilly, we still have to meet up with Ash and call the professor." I felt Lilly perk up at the mention of Professor Sycamore. She must have been eager to see the man after so long. I sighed and wiggled out of Lilly's hold, smoothing down and straightening my fur in preparation. I might as well get up since I obviously wasn't going to catch anymore sleep today.

"Look who finally decided to wake up" I heard Ashley shout in sarcastic irritation after we entered the Pokémon center lobby.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting, someone was a little hard-headed this morning." He defended and jerked a thumb back at me. I rolled my eyes and went back to smoothing and straightening my unkempt fur on my chest while I felt Lilly doing the same on my back. I glanced back at her with a smile in appreciation and wrapped an arm around her after I finally appeared presentable.

"Excuses, excuses, I already have to professor on the phone, let's try not to keep the man waiting." She said and gestured over to the phone on the wall. I looked at the phone curiously and stepped closer to see that it was a video phone with a smiling professor on the other end. I heard Lilly gasp and nearly take me to the ground when she charged past me and jumped up on the seat by the phone so the professor could see her.

"Well, she seems excited" Caleb chuckled as we watched the hyperactive Braixen shouting and waving at Sycamore through the camera. I simply nodded and stepped up next to her before hopping onto the chair next to hers and waving at Sycamore.

" **Ah, hello Aaron, how are you doing?"** he asked with a smile of happiness mixed with amusement. He knew I wasn't able to answer back , and that fact seemed to humor him greatly

"Very funny" I smiled and rolled my eyes at him, making him chuckle.

"Professor Sycamore, quit harassing my Pokémon" Caleb chided him jokingly as he squeezed in next to me so Sycamore could see him too.

" **And a good morning to you as well Caleb"** the man replied humorously and waited for all of us to get situated in front of the camera before speaking again. **"I'm glad that you decided to call me, I'm going to take a wild guess and say that your in Cyllage City?"**

"Yep, we just got the Cliff badge from Grant yesterday" Caleb stated proudly and pulled the Cliff badge from its case and showed it to the professor. The man nodded approvingly and crossed his arms with a cheerful smile.

" **Indeed you have, and I also noticed Lilly has evolved, that adorable little Fennekin is now a beautiful Braixen."** Lilly was blushing at the compliment as she partially hid behind Caleb out of embarrassment. I chuckled and wrapped an arm around her neck, hugging her close to me. The professor's smile seemed to get even wider at the scene before him.

"Indeed she has, I've also caught a new Pokémon." He took Yuki's Pokéball from his belt and released her with a pop. "Professor, meet Yuki."

"Hello Professor" she greeted and strode up to the camera, taking a seat beside me.

" **An Absol! My, my, that's quite a rare find."** He said while thoroughly examining the disaster Pokémon through the camera.

"Actually, she kind of found us." Caleb admitted while he scratched the Absol. She closed her eyes in enjoyment, letting out a small purr that I thought was impossible for canines. "We were just walking along the road and she just showed up, we battled and I captured her.

"I was not captured, I simply pledged my allegiance to a powerful trainer." She corrected. I rolled my eyes and patted her back lightly.

"Careful, your prides showing" I teased and bopped her nose, eliciting a sneeze from her. She shook her head to try and rid the itch from her nose before head-butting my side lightly and looking at me with a wide grin.

" **Its good to see everyone getting along, there's nothing stronger than a team that works together on, and off, the battlefield."** He said before holding up a finger in realization. **"Before I forget, I wanted to see if all of you would do me a favor and head over to Geosenge Town, I asked a colleague of mine to give you a gift from me."**

"Geosenge Town, that's not too far from Shalour City" Ashely informed, finally participating in the conversation. Sycamore nodded and pulled his phone from his coat pocket after it began ringing.

" **Indeed, do try and get there before heading towards Shalour, now I must apologize but I have to take this. Good luck and have fun."** He said before the phone abruptly hung up, the screen disappearing back to its place of origin. I was mildly curious as to why he stopped the conversation so suddenly, but quickly shook it off and refocused my attention on Caleb as he stepped back and took out his Pokédex.

"Let's see, Geosenge, Geosenge...here we are" he tapped the screen lightly and a small beep came from the device to confirm his action. "Going to be about a two to three day trip."

"That's not to bad, the towns only about a three day walk from Shalour City" Ashley tapped on her phone.

"I've never been to Geosenge before" Lilly said with a hint of giddiness in her tone. I looked over to Yuki to see her nodding in agreement.

"I have also never visited this town, nor have I really explored many human cities, this should be quite interesting." I didn't really hear either of them say these things, too focused on a weird ringing in my ears. It didn't hurt, but the pitch was highly irritating and I felt my body start to move of its own accord towards my trainer.

"Hey Aaron, what's up?" he asked, noticing my approach and looking down to acknowledge me. I didn't say anything, only pulling on his leg lightly to get him to kneel down. He did so without much question and, when I was able to reach it, unzipped his bag. My instincts knew that something in his bag was the since of the ringing and I soon found myself with a orb of Lucarionite in my paws.

I tilted my head in confusion as I stared at the small stone. It was the source of the harsh sound, was I the only one able to hear it. It let out a sound for my ears only, almost like it was.

"...Calling for me" I muttered, just below a whisper. I saw a human hand reach out for the stone and I involuntarily snapped at it. The hand pulled back quickly with a yelp and I looked up to see Caleb with his hand cradled close to him protectively. My eyes widened in realization and I dropped the stone out of pure shock.

'I almost hurt Caleb...cause he tried to take the stone from me.' I thought while backing away in a mixture of fear and guilt.

"A-Aaron..." he stuttered while he stared at me fearfully. I felt a tear escape my eye from the guilt that I was feeling.

' _Caleb...I'm so sorry...I-I don't know what came over me'_ I whimpered and fell to my knees, feeling a sort of sickness wrench my gut. _'I'm sorry...I'm so, so, sorry.'_

I was now feeling the tears flow freely as the wave of guilt consumed me. I covered my eyes and cried until I felt a pair of arms surround me and hold me close. I looked up, my eyes blurry from the tears, before burying my face into Caleb's chest.

"It's ok Aaron, I know you didn't mean to do it" he said soothingly as he scratched my head while he hugged me. The shock to my system was overwhelming and the guilt, along with the fear I placed in Caleb, was enough to make me emotionally wrecked.

"What happened?" Ashley muttered her question and kneeled down to pick the Lucarionite up from the floor.

"I don't know, he tried to bite me when I tried to take the megastone back from him, but I know he wouldn't have done that on purpose." Caleb answered, standing back up with me still in his arms.

' _It felt like I wasn't in control of my own body'_ I sniffled and tightened my hold on my trainer. The guilt I felt from my actions was long gone, already knowing he had forgiven me, now I only felt genuine fear. What if I lost control again and actually attacked one of them.

"Its alright Aaron, its going to be alright." He told me before I felt another pair of arms wrap around me. I picked my head up to look at Lilly, who nuzzled me comfortingly, and I nuzzled her back. I was still frightened, but I didn't want to worry them anymore so I hid it under a calm façade.

' _...I'm alright...can we please get going? I wanna try and forget what just happened.'_ They all readily agreed and, after stocking up on some much needed supplies, left the Pokémon Center to get back on the road towards our next destination.

'My instincts took over so easily...I wasn't even able to attempt to hold them back. Was I relying so much on my instincts that I couldn't stop them?' I asked myself while I looking down at my paws. I was still very inexperienced with this new body, and it threatened to take over if I let it run free.

I felt a paw land on my shoulder and looked up at the Braixen walking beside me. She looked down at me with concerned eyes and pulled me closer to her side.

"Are you doing alright?" She asked worriedly while lightly rubbing my side soothingly. I sighed and looked back to the ground with my eyes closed.

"I'm ok...just a little shaken up" I lied, not wanting to give her reason for concern. She saw right through it through and placed her other paw on my cheek, lightly pulling my head onto her chest.

"Come on, please tell me what's wrong" she pleaded. I bit my cheek before another shaky sigh left my muzzle.

"I'm scared Lilly" I admitted somberly and nuzzled closer to her chest. "I lost my self-control so easily. I could have hurt Caleb, I don't want to do that Lilly...I don't want to hurt the one I promised to protect."

She regarded me with a sad smile and kissed the top of my head, then started to nuzzle the same spot to calm me down. She didn't really say anything to me afterwards, simply nuzzling and hugging me comfortingly.

"You don't have to worry about that Aaron, it wasn't your fault."

"Why do you say that?" I asked her, my eyes turning back up to look her in the eye.

"One time, I overheard the Professor say that Pokémon will protect their megastones with their lives. He didn't quite know why, but he knew that instincts take over and the Pokémon will attack anything it sees as a threat to the stone."

"...So it really wasn't my fault?"

"Nope" she said with a shake of her head. "It was your instincts, and them alone."

This information comforted me a bit. Knowing that I wasn't some kind of dangerous anomaly in this world. I automatically decided that I wouldn't go near the Lucarionite though, better safe than sorry.

"Maybe this will all make more sense when I evolve." No doubt that being a Lucario will reveal opportunities for answers about the megastones and mega-evolution. Lilly seemed to agree with me and didn't press it any further. I was thankful for that, not wanting to continue this conversation, and refocused on the road ahead.

'I can't ever lose control again...I think its time for some special training.'

 **Don't forget to feed my ego with positive reviews, or you can shatter them like a beer bottle under your boot. Either way is fine by me, as long as I know y'all are still with me on this.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Here we are once again people, welcome back. I'm sorry to lead off with this, but I have some bad news. There has been a few problems on my end with writers block and real life eating away at my writing time. This means I might not be able to update as often as I have been. I wanted to let all of you know ahead of time so you aren't wondering and I hope you all understand. Now I've wasted enough of your time, I'll shut up and let you read.**

'Relax Aaron, tune out all outside distractions' I told myself and took another deep breath. We had left Cyllage City about two days ago and our trip to Geosenge Town had reached its halfway mark. I had surprised everyone when I requested to be placed in my ball for the trip, deciding at I needed some time alone.

This is where I currently found myself, in my personal little environment, meditating in the clearing I had landed in when I was last put in here. I mulled over everything that had occurred in Cyllage City, all the way from the battle with Grant to my accidental bout of aggression towards Caleb.

During the time I had to myself to think over these things, I had been busy with my training. I didn't do much physical training since that wasn't much of an issue, my main priority was training my mind. I had to reign in my instincts so they wouldn't take over again and make me hurt someone.

' _That isn't going to be easy you know'_ I heard a familiar voice in my head. The legendary sounded dead serious, something she almost never was. This worried me and I opened my eyes to show she had my attention, but found her barely an inch from my snout.

"Hello Mew, it's good to see you again" I said, not moving an inch away from her. She nodded and floated back, setting herself back on the ground with her tail wrapped around her lap.

"Indeed it is Aaron...I saw what happened back at Cyllage." She moved her tail to lay on my paw. "I know how upset it has made you."

I dropped my head with a sigh, the guilt from that incident at the Pokémon Center coming back. I held the paw she wasn't touching in front of my eyes and wiped a stray tear from my face.

"I'm scared of myself Mew...scared of what I might do" I muttered, barely above a whisper. I felt her tail wrap itself around my arm as she floated up next to me and placed a paw on my shoulder.

"I know...and that's why I'm going to help you if you ever lose control again." I glanced at her from the corner of my eye.

"How are you gonna do that, you're a legendary, there's no way you'd risk getting captured." She just smiled and her eyes glowed brightly. Next thing I knew, my own paw was scratching me behind my ear. That's when I remembered she could actually take control of my body.

"I don't have to risk anything, you forget how amazing I am."

"Careful, your ego's showing" I chuckled before she made me smack myself in the back of the head.

"Quiet you" she giggled and released her control. I glared at her for a moment before laughing alongside her. After all this time I spent brooding in this ball, it felt good to actually laugh again.

"So is that the only reason you're here to see me again, or am I just that darn attractive?" I joked and nudged her side. She giggled and pushed me away from her.

"Don't flatter yourself...and you might not want to make those kind of jokes."

"And tell me oh mighty Mew, why is that?" she actually smirked and my question, making me a little nervous.

"Because I'm sure a certain Braixen would love to hear all about our conversations." I instantly lost any signs of amusement and was now staring at the New Species Pokémon in horror.

"You wouldn't dare." I gulped as she stared back at me before she burst into another fit of giggles.

' _Oh Arceus, you should have seen your face'_ she said through her telepathy, being that her actual voice was too busy with her laughter. I glared at her until she finally stopped laughing at me.

"Ok, time to stop joking around for a minute" she told herself and her mood took a complete 180 as she regarded me with a face that didn't suit her one bit. I mimicked her emotions, not liking that the playful legendary suddenly became dead serious. "There are many things we need to discuss."

"Oh boy, I'm not gonna like this, am I?" she shook hear head and her eyes glowed again before a mirror like cloud suddenly appeared before us.

"First things first, there have been rumors circulating around the Hall of Origin. They believe another team has risen from the ashes to take Team Flare's place." The cloud started turning from its murky blackness into an image of a man wearing a bright yellow jumpsuit, golden blond hair that was spiked up in a dozen places, and a yellow and white bandana that covered one of his eyes. I actually had to hold back a snicker at the choice of attire.

"Certainly a unique taste in fashion." I said, making her drop her serious attitude and giggle lightly.

"They call themselves Team Sunburst, they have somehow caught Arceus' attention and he has classified them as a threat. I wanted to warn you about them if you ever encountered any members." She said before the cloud turned murky again and a picture of a Lucario replaced the yellow-clad man.

"This group is not a bunch of pushovers, they are surprisingly well trained and disciplined. Your current level will be no match for them if you are ever unlucky enough to cross paths. You must evolve quickly in order to push them back if they attack you or your friends."

I stared at the Lucario for a minute before looking down at myself. I was still trying to master my current form, but I had to evolve to protect the one's I cared about. This was a lot to ask of me, especially since the thought of evolution terrified me. What if I lost control again, I could cause so much more damage as a Lucario than I could as a Riolu.

I felt Mew's paw land on my shoulder and I saw a small smile adorned on her muzzle.

"I know your scared...I would be too if I was in your position. Being put in an unknown world in a body that wasn't originally yours. Your scared of what you might do, that your instincts would take over and make you hurt the ones you love." She told me softly and wrapped her tail around my waist comfortingly.

"I'm not gonna lie to you, I'm not just scared...I'm terrified...terrified of becoming stronger and letting the power consume me." I said with my eyes turned to the sky. I had commanded the ball to hide the outside from me so all I saw was a clear blue sky with an occasional cloud here and there.

"The power will only consume you if you let it Aaron." Her tail lightly rubbed my cheek before pushing my head to look at her crystal blue eyes. "You are strong already my favored...in both mind and body."

"What do you mean?" I asked, her words confusing me. She smiled and tightened her hold on me.

"I wasn't entirely truthful with you when I told you why you are here. It is true that you were brought back from the dead and reincarnated, but you were brought here for a reason. A terrible evil will befall Kalos, this evil is known as Helios the leader of Team Sunburst. He dreams to follow in Flare's footsteps and destroy the world by fire and flame, then remake it in any way he so desires. You are here to prevent him from succeeding in achieving his dreams."

I stared at her for a good solid minute, trying to comprehend what I was just told. She had dropped one hell of a bomb on me and I was left in complete shock. That's when a sudden realization came over me and I started chuckling quietly, slowly building up to full blown laughter.

"What's so funny, this is serious matter." Mew stated angrily at my lack of formality. I kept on laughing until I was able to finally stop myself.

"This is so cliché it hurts" I chuckled, wiping a tear from my eye. It was hilarious that she wanted me to save the world from a team that wanted to take over the planet. This was the plotline of literally every Pokémon game ever created by man. She seemed to have finally realized this and started laughing along with me.

"I never even thought about that" she said humorously before she stopped moving and stared ahead without focusing on anything. I looked at her worriedly and poked her shoulder lightly.

"Mew...you ok?" I asked, concerned that she didn't respond to my touch. I waved a paw in front of her face and kept calling her name until she blinked and shook her head after finally returning to me.

"I'm sorry Aaron, I'm needed at the Hall of Origins!" She said before teleporting out of my view, leaving me alone once again.

' _Remember what we discussed Aaron, you must become stronger to fulfill your purpose. I won't be able to watch you for a while, so I wish you luck, goodbye for now'_ she hastily told me through her telepathy before her presence left the ball entirely. I stared at the spot she once was before letting out a sigh.

"Save the planet huh?...yeah, no pressure there." I muttered and looked up to the sky. I was greeted by the sight of all of my companions huddling around a fire in the middle of their campsite. Each of them were smiling happily as Caleb held a stick in his hands with a roasting marshmallow at the end of it. I smiled softly and concentrated for a minute until a bright light engulfed my vision to be replaced by the soft glow of a warm fire. I looked up to see all of them looking at me silently, their smiles still adorning their faces.

"Hey guys" I said quietly, rubbing my arm nervously while my feet were planted to the ground, refusing to move. I was worried that Caleb was afraid to see me after what I did, but I was completely wrong. He pulled the stick back and blew on the marshmallow before carefully removing it and moving towards me. He kneeled down in front of me and wordlessly offered me the marshmallow. I glanced at Caleb and the treat in his hand before I timidly took it from him and popped it into my mouth.

"I missed you Aaron" he smiled and petted my head softly before pulling me into a hug. I immediately returned his embrace and nuzzled my head into his chest.

' _I'm sorry Caleb, I di-'_

"Aaron, you don't have to be sorry" he interrupted my apology and picked me up so he could sit down next to the fire with me on his lap. "I called Professor Sycamore and he explained everything. You were only acting on instinct, something that not even the most highly trained Pokémon could resist. I don't blame you bud, your still my partner and my friend."

I smiled at his words, telling him thank you in my own language, and pulled away from the hug so I was sitting next to him by the fire. I felt another set of furrier arms circle around my waist and a furred muzzle rested on my head.

"Are you feeling alright my mate?" I heard the beautiful voice of my firefox ask me softly as she rubbed my chest soothingly. I smiled and hugged her arms to my chest and angled my head back to catch her lips with my own.

"I'm fine sweetheart, I just needed some time to think" I told her after breaking the kiss and leaning back into her chest. It was still pretty weird for me to be in this position, but I just had to get used to it.

"Well while you've been inside your ball, something quite amazing happened" she giggled and pointed at a strange looking Pokémon that was sleeping against a tree on the edge of the clearing. I squinted to get a better look at the Pokémon from where I was and was quite surprised to see that it was a Kirlia. I quirked my head and looked around the camp to try and find my Ralts, but he was no where to be found.

"Are you telling me..." she nodded and I found myself grinning. "When did this happen?"

"Not too long after leaving Cyllage, we battled a really strong trainer and Lee evolved when he was fighting the trainers Ursaring." She answered. I nodded and turned my attention from the Kirlia and back to the fire. Now that I was caught up and all my worries about my team were gone, I was left only with my concerns about Team Sunburst.

'I needed to evolve to fight them...but how do I evolve in the first place?' I pondered for a moment before I ended up giving myself a headache. Lilly must have sensed this because she placed her paw on my forehead and applied a slight pressure to help ease the pain. I grinned and placed my paw over her own.

"I missed you my mate..." She whispered and snuggled closer to me. I smirked and twisted myself around so I was facing her.

"I missed you too...sorry I left you alone for so long." I took her paws in mine and nuzzled her snout. "I'll have too find a way to make it up to you."

She giggled and nuzzled back before lightly pushing me so I was laying on my back with her sitting on top of me. She was wearing a deep blush as she moved to rest half of her body on me and the other half was glued to my side.

"Comfortable?" I chuckled and rubbed her side while she nuzzled her head against my chest. She blushed harder and moved her head to cover my face with her large ears, preventing me from seeing her blushing face.

"I'm tired and your comfortable" she pouted and wrapped me up in a tight hug. I felt the air escape my lungs and I gasped for breath while Lilly giggled in satisfaction. "Now hush up and let me sleep." I rolled my eyes and laid my head down on the ground before relaxing enough to forget all of my worries, focusing only on my beautiful vixen.

'I'll ask Caleb about evolving tomorrow' I decided and sighed tiredly before I fell asleep alongside my mate.

 **Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a fav, review, you know something for me to enjoy.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Once again, I appear with another installment to 'Fabled World'. I'm not about to let the little hiccup of the missing tablet stop me for too long...hopefully. Anywho, sorry about the long wait on this one, so much crap going on I kinda forgot about writing. Here you are though, chapter 17 is up, now onto the story.**

'Remind me again, why am I holding this?' I asked and held the egg out towards Caleb. He smirked and put a finger on the tip, pushing it back down to my chest.

"You were in that ball for two days straight, so you avoided the system we set up." He answered and dug around in his bag, pulling out a small notebook and opening it up before handing it to me. I took it and scanned it carefully, seeing a graph with all of our names except Yuki's, probably because she was quadruped. The top was simply labeled "caring for egg" and a Sunday through Saturday chart.

"We set up quite the ingenious system so we all shared in the bonding" I stared at him, then the egg, then back at him.

'Bonding...with an egg?'

"Yep" he happily stated and turned to ignore me once again with that smirk still on his face. I rolled my eyes and kept my eyes on the road before us. We had been walking since the crack of dawn, much to my annoyance, and made excellent time in our trip since I was able to see a town up ahead that I assumed was Geosenge.

"There it is, Geosenge Town." Called it. I glanced over at Ashley and saw her fiddling around with her Pokédex while Sakura rested on her shoulder. This was maybe the second or third time I've seen he out of her Pokéball, usually staying secluded like Lee while they did whatever it is they door in there.

"Where are we supposed to meet this guy again?" Caleb asked after officially entering the town and looking around him. I was also looking around, but I wasn't too worried about the Professors friend. I was focused on the shops all around the town.

Thunderstone's, Firestone's, all the shops were selling at least one type of evolutionary stone. This town seemed to be devoted to stones of all shapes and sizes. I even saw a few people evolving their Pokémon with the stones they had just purchased.

"So do you plan on buying any stones from this town, I heard that there's some you can only get here." I heard Ashley say, but I really didn't pay much attention to her. My focus was now on the egg after it seemed to shake whenever we passed a store selling a Firestone. I tilted my head questioningly and waited for it do something else, but it didn't move again. I blamed it on my imagination and went back to looking around until I felt it wiggle again.

'Odd' I thought and held the egg of in front of me. I guessed that it must have been close to hatching and most likely would in the near future. 'I wonder what you'll be.'

"Aaron, you hear me?" I glanced up at Caleb after he pulled me from my thoughts.

'Sorry, what did you say? I asked while securing the egg back to my chest.

"I was wondering if you wanted to continue our conversation about you evolving" he repeated, receiving an eager nod from me. I had brought up this subject shortly after we had packed up camp and discussed it for much of the trip until we were interrupted by a trainer that wanted a battle. After we beat him, we had let it slip our minds until this very moment.

"Alright then," he laughed at my enthusiasm and poked around on his Pokédex for a minute, "Says here that Riolu can evolve from either friendship or from being pushed to the limit in battle." He read and looked down at me while I held my free paw to my chin.

'What about a sudden burst of intense emotion?' I wondered out loud. I remember that some Pokémon can evolve when their emotions reach the breaking point of anger, happiness, desperation. I wasn't to keen on putting anyone on the team in danger so I could evolve and I don't see my anger reaching that point anytime soon. That left either facing an opponent that pushes me to the edge or reaching a specific point in my friendship with Caleb.

"I'd rather not experiment with that one" he said and messed around on his Pokédex a bit more before stuffing it back into his pocket. I nodded and let the matter drop for now. There was no point in discussing the matter further since neither of us really had any good ideas about how to make me evolve.

We continued walking in silence until we came to a stop before a rock arch that sat just outside of town. It seriously reminded me of something, but I wasn't even going to touch that subject again.

"I got a message from the Professor that his friend would meet us here." Caleb told us and sat down against the rock. The rest of us soon followed suit and sat around Caleb while I sat a little farther from them so I could check on the egg. What I was looking for, I had no idea, but I did it nonetheless. I sat down cross legged with the egg in my lap while I looked all over the shell for any indication of hatching. Small cracks, vibrations, noises, anything that could give me a sign.

The only things I witnessed was the occasional shake from whatever Pokémon was inside. It was definitely close, probably sometime this week close. The fact that it was so close put me a little on edge, I had no clue why. Maybe because of the fact that a new member would be joining the team and I didn't know what it would be. I wasn't too concerned about it battling since Grant's Amaura was pretty young and she had potential.

I sat there pondering these things for awhile until I heard the pop of a Pokéball and a familiar presence suddenly appeared next to me. I smiled when I saw the white furred paw come into my vision and rub the egg softly.

"How close do you think it is?" she asked me and gently took the egg from my lap and cradle it to her chest protectively. I smiled at the scene, running a few possible scenarios through my head...I'm a Pokémon now, don't judge me.

"Sometime this week is my guess, maybe sooner, I'm not really sure." I answered uncertainly. I didn't get a response so I let her have her moment with the egg while I took the chance to relax and cloud watch...yes, cloud watch, I was really that bored already. There wasn't much else to do since we were waiting on a guy to come and meet us at an unspecified date and time.

"Aaron, it moved" Lilly squealed excitedly, making me chuckle.

"Indeed it did sweetheart, that why I think its hatching soon" I laughed and glanced over at the fox Pokémon. She had that giddy smile on her muzzle while she held the egg to her ear to listen for any sounds. I kept watching her for a few minutes since there was nothing else to do.

"Hoy there" I heard someone say in greeting and looked back to see a young boy, that I guessed was around Caleb's age, walking towards us.

'Thank God' I silently cheered and hopped to my feet so I could stand next to Caleb as he rose up to meet the guy half-way.

"You Caleb?" he asked while moving a lock of his dirty blond hair from his eyes. His emerald green eyes flashed at me before focusing back on Caleb.

"Yeah, that's me" he replied and held his hand out to the boy.

"Axel" he took my trainers hand and exchanged a few pleasantries before we all gathered around Axel curiously. I wasn't expecting Sycamore to send another trainer, but then again it was a high possibility.

'Nice to meet you Axel' I said to the boy, making him jump a little and look all around him. I snickered a little at the familiar reaction that I get every time I speak to someone for the first time.

"Who said that?" he looked a little frightened and I found it kind of funny so I stayed quiet to mess with him a little. He might have been a stranger, but that won't save him from my antics. Sadly, as always, some has to swoop in and ruin my fun.

"That's probably just Aaron here" Caleb told him, pointing down to me. I frowned and dropped my head in mock sadness and real disappointment.

'Why do you have to ruin my fun?' I pouted and crossed my arms while glaring at him. He just laughed at my comment before turning his attention back to the new guy. He calmed down after learning it was just me and then started looking me up and down. It was kind of creepy, the way he examined me, but he seemed to be trying to put something together in his head.

"A Riolu?...maybe that's why the Professor wanted me to give you this." He said more to himself before pulling out his bag and rummaging around in it before pulling out whatever he was supposed to deliver to us. He held his hand out to Caleb and dropped a small marble about the size of my mega-stone. I was shocked beyond belief at what I saw in Caleb's outstretched hand.

A Keystone, an honest to God keystone.

'First Sycamore gives us the Lucarionite, now he's giving away a freaking keystone.' I pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming, the pain running up my arm confirmed my suspicion, this was for real.

"A...keystone." he muttered while he stood stock still, staring at the stone in his hand. His face was one of awe and disbelief, for a second I thought he even stopped breathing from the shock.

"Yes sir, Professor said he found it and his first thought was to somehow get it to you." Axel said and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Now I hope you don't mind, but I was wondering if you would like to have a battle with me?"

"A battle!" Caleb nearly shouted, instantly out of his own little world at the mention of a battle. Axel grinned from the reaction and pulled a Pokéball from his belt.

"Yep, one-on-one, I wanted to see why Sycamore was so adamant on giving you that keystone." I looked up at my trainer to see him looking back down at me, that confident look in his eye. I smirked, punching my paws together and cracking my neck.

"Alright, your on!" Axel regarded us with equal excitement and tossed out the Pokéball in his hand. Out of the ball came a Meinfoo, a fighting type Pokémon native to the Unova region

I swear I heard Ashley say something about it being adorable, which she finds just about everything, but I had a very different opinion of my opponent. In my eyes, I saw a very dangerous individual, no doubt it probably had a better understanding of Martial Arts than I. I had also never fought another fighting type so this was foreign territory for me.

"Don't worry Aaron, we can do this" Caleb said confidently, probably sensing my sudden unease. I calmed my nerves and stepped out in front of him, ready for whatever was thrown at me.

"Awesome, been too long since me and Sensei had a good battle" Axel said, answering my unsaid question about the identity of his partner.

"Indeed it has, do try to keep up" the Meinfoo taunted as he got down in his fighting stance. I smirked and mirrored his actions.

"Confident aren't we...well let's see what you can do." I said back and nodded to Caleb to show I was ready.

"Let's start this off, Sensei, use Bulk Up!" The Mienfoo seemed to glow a strange light as he tensed up. I narrowed my eyes and sprinted towards my opponent with Quick Attack. I was forced to skid to a halt and counter the Karate Chop that was sent my way with a Force Palm. That's when we both apparently pulled out our Close Combat tactics as we constantly sent out a kick or a punch, only for it to either be dodged or countered.

During the entire exchange of moves, I was constantly looking for any openings. It was incredibly difficult to even catch a glimpse of even the tiniest gap in his defenses, the guy was very well trained. I finally just gave up on trying to land a hit and grabbed his arm as it came towards me.

"Gotcha" I muttered after catching his paw before twisting my body back and chucking him across the field. He caught himself easily and skidded backwards until finally stopping and returning to his stance.

"Swift" Axel cried, making my eyes widen in surprise. Now the Mienfoo was conjuring stars from seemingly nowhere and hurling them at me at incredible speed. All I could do was brace myself for the impact since move was impossible to dodge. The move hit hard and I gritted my teeth, powering through the pain as the stars cut and bruised my arms.

"Now, Karate Chop!"

"Quick, Blaze Kick!"

The moves connected simultaneously as I threw my flaming leg up to counter the Mienfoo that had seemingly teleported across the field. When the smoke cleared, we were both simply staring at each other, leg and arm still connected. The tension between us was palpable as neither of us moved a muscle for what seemed like a full minute until going right back to our Close Combat routine.

"Your...pretty good." I heard Sensei tell me in between attacks. I gave him a toothy grin as I shoulder bashed him in the chest to try and get some distance between us.

"Your...not so...bad yourself." I replied between breaths before surprising him with a close range Quick Attack followed up by a Force Palm. "But your...cocky... I can tell."

"Your not...wrong...I let my...guard down" he held a paw over his chest where I had hit, most likely taking the breath from his lungs. I charged forwards with another Force Palm, but was stopped short as a sudden punch connected with my gut, taking my breath away and I instinctively rammed a Blaze Kick into his side. I pretty much sent him flying, giving me the opportunity to catch my breath after that hit.

"Right in the kidney...I got careless" I scolded myself, letting out a cough or two before finally getting my bearings and looking towards Caleb for guidance. His eyes were glued to the dust cloud where Sensei landed after my kick. I turned to the cloud as well, staring at it nervously, hoping I had knocked him unconscious. When it finally cleared, we all saw a beaten Mienfoo standing on shaky legs while holding into his side.

"Sensei!" Axel shouted as the Martial Arts Pokémon failed to keep himself up and he collapsed to his knees tiredly. Caleb followed suit as I fell into a kneeling position while I held my aching stomach.

"Hey bud, you doing ok?" Caleb asked as he kneeled down beside me and picked me up to relieve me legs from my own weight. I gave him a weak nod and looked over to Sensei to see Axel pretty much copying Caleb as he settled Sensei in his hold. I smiled at the bond between the two before closing my eyes and trying to relax.

"Hey Caleb, Axel, come on over here and we'll fix those two right up" Ashley called from her spot behind our unofficial battlefield and I felt Caleb start moving before I was laid down on the dirt. I felt a paw land softly on my stomach and rubbed it to help ease the pain.

"Thanks Lilly" I said, not bothering to open my eyes to look at her. She didn't seem to mind though and went on with her healing. I'm glad Ashley taught her a thing or two about medicine since the girl was a bit preoccupied with healing the Meinfoo.

'You were pretty good Sensei' I sent over to him, hoping it actually reached him in my weakened state.

'Thank You Aaron, you were a very worthy opponent.' He answered back calmly, surprising me since he wasn't overreacting and that he was actually talking back through my own mind. I guessed that it worked both ways, more or less trying to avoid overthinking on it.

I felt my brain ache when I tried to talk through telepathy again, probably from the exhaustion. I gave up on even thinking and just relaxed while Lilly did her thing.

"I think your getting even stronger than you already were" I heard her say, still massaging my stomach, even though it didn't really hurt anymore, I wasn't going to complain though.

"I sure hope I am, I was training almost nonstop when I was in that ball" I said and peeked an eye so I could see her beautiful face smiling down at me. "I'd be worried if I wasn't stronger."

She nodded, not talking any further, and padded off to somewhere. It was only a few seconds until I felt her presence nearby once again and felt her lift my head, setting it back down in her lap. I was about to ask what she went to do until I felt something be placed on my chest. She had placed the egg on my chest.

"It started glowing during your battle" she said, lightly rubbing the shell, "it wasn't much, but I think it's going to hatch soon."

"I hope it does, I want to figure out what it is" I lifted a paw to rub the egg too, laughing a little at what this might have looked like.

"So adorable " I heard Ash squeal, pretty much solidifying those words as her catch-phrase.

"Yes, yes, its amazing and cute, now come on, we have to take Aaron and Sensei to the Pokémon Center." Caleb said, quite impatiently.

'Y'all go on ahead, I'm comfy here' I said, glancing over to them before reaching up to caress Lilly's cheek. Caleb smirked and told us to 'have fun' before leaving with a wink and dragging Axel and Ashley to the nearby Pokémon Center.

"Hmm...thought they'd never leave" Lilly purred and leaned down to nuzzle me, planting a soft kiss upon my muzzle.

"Feels good being here like this, just the two of us." She raised a brow and smirked before looking over at the egg. "Fine, three of us."

"Much better" she nodded and rubbed the egg again, making it glow faintly at her touch. I narrowed my eyes in confusion when I didn't see the glow disappear, in fact it seemed to get brighter.

"Lilly...I think its happening" I said as the light coming from it continued to brighten until it was almost too bright to look at. I heard a crack come from its shell, then another, and another, until it finally shattered. Lilly and I exchanged glances before looking back at the newly hatched Pokémon. It looked up at me, it eyes glowing with curiosity and wonder. I stared back at it, trying to comprehend what had just happened. That's when I said the word I will never forget.

"Daddy?" as soon as those words left its lips, only one thought ran through my head.

'...Shit.'

 **Oooh, gotta love the cliffhanger. What Pokémon evolved from the egg, what's gonna happen with Axel, you'll have to wait and see.**

 **Also, just so we're clear, the battle scenes are directed by the trainers, even if their commands are not directly wrote, just wanted to make this known.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Ok, I swear that some of y'all should be like detectives or something since you guessed right about the egg species, that or I'm just that obvious. You know who you are, and I gotta say, good on ya.**

 **Now I have a serious question for all of my readers who have already previously posted a story on this site. I have stopped receiving the e-mail notification about new postings and the story sometimes doesn't go to the update date that it should go to. If any of you know of any way to help me out with this or know what's going on, please shoot me a PM, it would be greatly appreciated.**

"Daddy?" I stared awestruck at the little red fox sitting on my chest. I couldn't believe it, the egg hatched, and into a little female Vulpix of all things. What shocked me most though was that she had actually called me daddy.

"Uh...hey there" I greeted dumbly before the little one tailed fox jumped from my chest and started nuzzling my neck happily.

"DADDY, DADDY, DADDY!" She cried, her voice muffled by my neck fluff. I'm glanced up at Lilly, hoping for a little assistance, but she was as shocked as I was. Her surprise was mixed with amusement though as she looked down at me with a smirk after finally catching up, much faster than I did.

"Hello little one" she joyfully greeted the fox, making it look up at her, her amber eyes glowing with happiness.

"MOMMY!" She leaped towards Lilly, the Braixen almost dropping the little kit from the sudden jump. Thankfully, she was able to get a secure grip on the kit, who was currently nuzzling her chest. She took the affection in stride and lifted the Vulpix up to eye level so she could nuzzle it back. I just sat there with a face of bewilderment while I stared at the scene before me. The kit had just called us her mom and dad, and Lilly didn't even bat an eye at it.

'Well...this got interesting' I thought while I picked myself up, only to be tackled back to the ground by a hyper little Vulpix.

"AHH, THE CUTENESS!" I shouted dramatically, returning to my usual attitude after I got over the shock. The kit gave off an adorable little giggle and hopped off of me, starting to run circles around me. The action was almost iconic of Lilly back when she was a Fennekin.

"Alright little girl, calm down" I said to the kit and grabbed her, hugging her to my chest

"Daddy, let go" she laughed and kept squirming in my arms, trying to break free. Lilly hugged me from behind with her arms over the kit to help keep her restrained.

"My Arceus, she's so cute" Lilly squealed before taking the wriggling kit from me and cradling her close. I breathed a sigh of relief and held a paw to my head, getting a headache from all of the sudden excitement. I was seriously not expecting that egg to hatch yet, and I definitely didn't see the baby calling me its daddy. It wasn't exactly surprising though, since it probably imprinted on me or something.

"Keep an eye on her Lilly, I'll go find Caleb" I called back to her, already on my way out to fetch my trainer. She didn't respond, probably to engrossed in the little Pokemon's utter cuteness. I didn't mind though, I had plenty of other things to worry about.

' _So what's it like being a daddy Aaron?'_ a familiar voice joked in my head, making me groan in annoyance.

'I wondered when you'd show up.' I replied, not even bothering to try and find her as I continued walking.

' _Aww, you were thinking about me, I knew I'd rub off on you sooner or later'_ she giggled. I rolled my eyes and didn't offer her any response so she would hopefully go away, even though I knew she wouldn't. The legendary wasn't the worst Pokémon to be around, but she was still incredibly annoying after awhile.

' _Hey, I am not annoying!'_ she shouted after reading my thoughts, proving my point.

'Will you please get out of my head?'

' _Nope, not till I tell you something.'_ She said, making me raise a brow in curiosity.

'Go on' I sighed after a few seconds of silence. Maybe if she said what was on her mind she'd go away and leave me to my own problems.

' _Why you gotta be like that Aaron, I thought we were friends.'_ She said with a whimper that I knew was faked. I projected my annoyance all around me so she knew I was not in the mood to play. I put a few of the people and Pokémon around me on edge, but it still had the desired effect.

' _Fine...just like Arceus, never letting me have my fun.'_ I had to laugh a little at how much she sounded like me right there, but she thankfully didn't catch it. The last thing I needed was for her to know I was even the slightest bit amused.

' _I wanted to warn you that your first test as a favored will begin soon, sorry I'm not allowed to be less cryptic.'_ She told me. I mentally cursed the deity that everyone referred to as Arceus, wondering why it wouldn't allow Mew to be more detailed in her warnings. Now I had an entire plethora of new issues to deal with. I didn't need this kind of stress packed on to what I'm already dealing with.

'Gee thanks for the warning, no pressure there' I sighed before looking up at the door I had absentmindedly gone through. I wasn't even paying much attention to where I was going during my conversation and I guess my feet brought me here on there own, which is a little strange since I had no idea where I was going.

' _Your welcome, now if you excuse me, I'm needed in the Hall again, bye-bye.'_ She said before I felt her presence simply disappear, leaving me alone. I released a small annoyed growl I was holding back until she finally left. I was starting to feel the stress getting to me, my tense muscles confirming it. I didn't want to deal with this crap, especially when I already have so much to deal with already.

'Ok Aaron, calm down, deep breaths" I whispered before calming myself down and looking around the room for any of my companions. I found Ashley and Caleb sitting on a comfortable looking couch having a pleasant conversation with Axel with a fully healed Sensei resting on his side.

' _Caleb'_ I called to him, getting him to turn his attention to me as I walked up to him.

"Oh, hey Aaron...where's Lilly?" he questioned, immediately concerned about his starter. I was about to explain the situation before I was prematurely tackled from behind. I acted on reflex and grabbed whatever was behind me and flipped my attacker over my shoulder, making them hit the ground hard. I immediately regretted it as I stared at a familiar Vulpix laying on the ground in front of me.

"OW, DADDY!" she cried in pain. I carefully grabbed her and hugged her close to me, constantly apologizing to the sobbing kit and nuzzling her comfortingly.

"I'm sorry baby, I didn't mean to hurt you" I said while I continued to comfort her. Her tears soaked my neck fur as she cried, most likely in plenty of pain.

"WHY?" she wailed, breaking my heart a little.

"I didn't do it on purpose baby girl, you surprised me, you can't sneak up on me like that." I told her. She kept on crying as I picked her up and cradled her to my chest while her muzzle was still buried in my neck fur. I looked up at Lilly as she charged into the Pokémon Center, her breaths heavy, probably from chasing the kit all the way here.

"Where is...oh my" she muttered and ran towards me after seeing me holding the kit in my arms. "What happened?"

"She snuck up on me and tackled me, I flipped her over my shoulder on reflex" I answered, holding the Vulpix tightly, even though she had already stopped crying. I felt terrible for hurting her like I did, especially since she's been on this world for less than an hour. I looked down at her when I felt her muzzle retreat from my neck and saw her looking back at me. She offered up a small smile and gave me an affectionate lick on the tip of my nose.

"Its ok daddy, I forgive you" she told me and put her muzzle back on my neck, starting to nuzzle me. I breathed a sigh of relief, happy to know that she was alright and that she didn't blame me for hurting her.

"Um...can someone explain what's going on?" Caleb asked after watching this little exchange. I glanced up at him and then back at the Vulpix.

' _Remember that egg?'_ I asked, hoping that would be enough for him. It seemed to do the trick as he didn't question it, just looked to the kit in my arms in a mixture of joy and excitement.

"Whoa, it hatched, but into what?" he wondered and reached for his Pokédex, but Axel beat him to the punch.

"That's a Vulpix, a fire type native to Kanto" he informed them. Caleb glanced over at him and pulled his hand back so he could instead reach of to pet the Vulpix. I stopped him with a paw and held the Vulpix out at arms length.

"Ok baby girl, there's someone I want you to meet, I need you to stay calm alright." She smiled and nodded, eager to meet a new friend. I smiled back and set her down carefully in case she was still hurt.

' _Be easy with her Caleb'_ I warned and backed up a step or two to give her and Caleb some room. She caught sight of the human and looked at him curiously. He smiled wide after making eye contact and tried to look as unintimidating as possible.

"Hey there little girl, I'm Caleb, Aaron's trainer" he greeted her softly, making her tilt her head in confusion.

"Who's Aaron?" she asked, making me snicker in amusement.

"That's me baby girl" I told her and glanced up at Caleb to hurry up before he lost her attention. He held his hand out towards her and slowly brought it down to her head.

"Daddy, what's he doing?" she asked, looking up at the hand approaching her.

"Don't worry girl, he just wants to pet you" she nodded in understanding, surprising me a little even though I knew that all Pokémon were born with moderate level intelligence. She sniffed his hand and gave it a soft lick before allowing it to land on her head. She purred feeling the hand softly stroking her head fluff and leaned towards the petting.

"It feels good." I smiled at her comment and carefully watched as he picked her up and hugged her. I trusted my trainer, but I couldn't help but feel a little protective of the kit since she saw me as her father.

"Ohh, so cute!" I heard Ashley's squeal and reach out towards them. She stopped dead when she heard me growling at her, my protective instincts taking over. Lilly laid a paw on my shoulder to calm me down and I stopped growling, allowing her to touch the Vulpix under my watchful eye.

' _You better be careful with my daughter.'_ I said, projecting my voice so they all could hear me. I had pretty much come to terms with my new role as the Vulpix's father, and I planned on taking this new responsibility very seriously. The Vulpix smiled and giggled from Caleb's arms while Lilly hugged me happily. The rest of them, understandably, looked quite shocked at my words.

"Daughter?" Caleb questioned and looked between me and her. She yipped excitedly and leaped from his arms so she could run over towards me.

"Daddy!" She shouted and started running around me, ready to play like the little girl she was. I chuckled and grabbed onto her again before sitting down with her in my lap. I nuzzled her affectionately and laid her down, stroking her silky soft fur.

' _Yeah, I guess I imprinted on her after she hatched'_ they nodded and Caleb patted his lap, inviting Vulpix to come and sit with him. She looked at the offering and glanced back at me, receiving a nod, before picking herself up and hopping into his lap.

"That's pretty cool...should I be congratulating you?" he joked while he watched me take a seat next to him on the floor. I smirked up at him and punched his leg lightly before resting my head against it.

' _It was a surprise, that's for sure'_ I chuckled and watched the Vulpix as she yawned cutely before curling up in my trainers lap for a nap. _'Ain't even named her yet.'_

"Really? he asked in genuine suprise and looked down at the kit in his lap. He put his hand to his chin like he was thinking before looking down at me, his hand still held to his face. "Would you mind if I named her?"

I copied his actions from before by holding a paw under my muzzle and thought about it for a minute. I didn't think to hard on it though, that just tends to give me a headache. In the end, I just shrugged and gave him the go ahead, how badly can he do right.

"How about Flare?" Apparently that bad. I looked up at him with a deadpan expression, my eyes reflecting my disappointment.

 _'Really bro, Flare, that's really the best you could come up with?'_

"Alright, Alright, I'll think of something else" he said, holding his hands forward placatingly. He went back to trying to find at least an original name for the kit while I found myself thinking about everything that Mew had told me. The first test as her favored...what in the world could that mean. I had a few ideas, but I was seriously scared of vocalizing them in case I ended up jinxing myself and putting everyone in danger.

'Yep...getting a headache, this can't be normal or healthy.' I rubbed a paw against my forehead to try and sooth my apparent migraine. I was thankfully spared from any more thinking by the snapping of fingers. I looked up at Caleb to see a very happy smile as his eyes gleamed with an apparent epiphany.

"I got it, Kaen!" He nodded and crossed his arms, looking quite proud of his idea. While I admit it seemed a little unoriginal since it was pretty much meant flame, I couldn't complain since I ended up doing the exact same thing for Yuki. I nodded back gave him a thumbs up...something similar to a thumbs up...whatever.

 _'Now we just need to make her an official member of the team'_ I said, pointing towards the bag on his side. He seemed confused for a second before a look of realization adorned his face and he quickly dug around his bag for the required item. The movement seemed a bit too rough for Kaen and dragged her from her slumber.

"What's...going on?" she asked groggily with only one, half-lidded, eye open. I smiled and scratched her head softly to help calm her down.

"Baby girl, we need to make you an official member of the team, then we can go on all sorts of adventures together, would you like that?" My reply was a suddenly wide awake Vulpix jumping from Calebs lap and tackling me to the ground while nuzzling my face happily. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Definitely...but how do I become a member?" I smiled and pointed behind her, making her turn her head back to see Caleb holding a Pokéballout towards her.

"Simple, just press that button." she looked at the ball for a collective amount of two seconds before leaping off of my chest and straight at the ball. The instant she tapped it, she disappared in a flash of red light. Caleb looked at the Pokéball in his hand for a few seconds, not moving his arm at all, even after it dinged to confirm the capture. I'm pretty sure the suddenness of the event made his brain stop before finally waking up to try and decipher what had just gone down.

"...O...k?" he said dumbly and brought the ball to his face to whisper words that only Kaen would know like he did for us all when we were captured.

"Great, now that thats out of the way" Axel said and clapped his hands together to get all of our attention. We turned towards him questioningly while he and Sensei stood up and walked in front of us. "I was going to ask you before those two showed up, but I was wondering if me and my partner would be able to travel with all of you?"

"Travel...with us?" Caleb asked. Axel nodded and looked at Sensei before turning back to us.

"Yep, we wanted to go with you so we can learn and grow...I know that sounded really corny, but its the truth. Just seeing you and Aaron battle was enough proof to show that we still need to work on our battle prowess, and I feel like you and Aaron would be the perfect ones to teach us."

"Please let us accompany you, like my master, I wish to learn. I wish for you to teach me how to fight." Sensei shared Axel's mindset adn repeated his idea, but with a respectful bow. Me and Caleb sweatdropped before turning to look at each other.

 _'Might as well, what can it hurt'_ I said, recieving a delayed nod from him. We turned back to their hopeful faces and sweatdropped again. Now they were both bowing in a very unnecessary fashion.

'Freaking Samouri...wait what's-nope, not gonna question it.'

"Sure thing, the more the merrier as they say." Caleb told them and both of their faces lit up in joy.

"Oh thank you, you won't regret it" they said simultaneously. We cut their celebration short with a hand/paw held up to quiet them down before pointing to the chair beside them. They looked over to see Ashley zonked out on the couch with a bit of drool falling from the corner of her mouth. They actually started giggling and we quickly shut them up with a hard glare.

"There are many things in this world you shouldn't do, one of those is waking up Ash" Caleb said, making the both of us shiver from the memory of the last time we woke her up too early in the morning. I swear my eardrums are still ringing.

 _'Guess its bed time'_ I told everyone, letting out a tired yawn in the process. Caleb copied me and was soon followed by Axel and Sensei. We silently agreed and booked a room for the night at the Pokémon Center and started heading for our respective rooms before we had a sudden realization, what do we do with Ashley

We all exchanged looks before I walked over to the nurses desk and grabbed a pen and a piece of paper from the counter and wrote the words "Disturb At Own Risk" in big letters and placed it on her lap.

With that problem solved, we all turned in for the night and I soon found myself in the room, held onto from both sides by Lilly and Kaen. I didn't really complain though, what guy would when they were tucked between two warm fire types on a cold night.

"Yes, I am living the life."

 **Sorry y'all, this might be the last chapter for awhile so I apologize and I wanted all of you to know that I will keep writing when I can. Thank you for your cooperation...or something along those lines. Hope to see you again soon, Adios.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello all you fine people, I'm back once again. I've been working hard to get at least one more chapter done before I lose the computer for the week. I hope that I'm still meeting everyone's standards with this story. I would also like to thank all of you for your support.**

 **35 reviews, 45 favorites, 64 followers, and over 7,000 views. I** **honestly didn't think I would get this much support, but I thank all of you for your kindness.**

 **Now onto the story.**

"Come on, were not stopping till you get at least one hit in" I stated calmly while holding Sensei's paw in mine after his failed sucker-punch. We were on the road once again as we continued this great journey of ours and we had stopped by the edge of a small stream to rest up before hitting Shalour City. This gave me the perfect opportunity to train for the upcoming gym battle against Korrina and her fighting type gym. What better way to train for something like that than to spar with another fighting type.

"I'm trying, just stay still!" He shouted back at me and threw his other fist towards my muzzle, only for it to be intercepted by my unused paw. I tisked disappointedly and rolled my arms so we were hooked together before rearing my head back and delivering a strong headbutt to his muzzle. He let out a pained yelp in responce and I released him so he could try and nurse his bruised head.

"Come on man, where's that strategy from before, you gotta have at least some instincts in that noggin of your's." I said while handing him an Oran berry Caleb gave me for the training. He looked down in shame after popping the berry in his mouth and kneeled down in front of me.

"Forgive me Masuta, I have relied on my trainer and have not experienced battle without him for a very long time."

"So your saying your just rusty, could have just said that, not go into all that formal crap" I chuckled and pulled him up to his feet with a smile, "Been meaning to ask, you've been calling me Masuta since we started, what does that even mean?"

"It translates as Master" he answered simply. I tilted my head at his statement and shook it soon after.

"No need for that title, I'm not your master Sensei, I'm your friend."

"Non-sense, you have taken the time to help teach me, so it is only right to call you this Masuta." He replied adamantly and kneeled before me once again. I sweat-dropped and picked him up with a shake of my head. I knew there was no way I was changing his mind on this one, so I'll just let it slip for now.

"Whatever you say, now lets try sparring once again...oh and, try and actually hit me this time." I smirked, taking a playful jab at his ego. he nodded and got back in his fighting stance while I watched him with calculating eyes. I copied his actions after he was all set and we squared off for a few seconds before sprinting from our spot in a collision course towards each other.I reared my paw back with a force palm prepared while he did the same with his karate chop and we were closing in on each other fast.

"DADDY!" That's when the red wonder known as Kaen appeared out of seemingly nowhere, and appeared right in between us.

"OH SHIT!" me and Sensei yelled and leaped over the kit, only to run face first into each other. It was quite comical really, at least that's what Kaen seemed to think since she was giggling like a maniac.

"Ohhh...I think I just kissed a man" I said groggily, not quite having recovered from the impact. Sensei was faring no better since he wasn't even able to let out anything intelligible, only pained moans escaped his muzzle. I glanced over at the still giggling Vulpix before slowly picking myself up from the dirt and helping Sensei up to his feet. I still wonder to this day how that little impact hurt so badly, but I wasn't really too concerned about it right now. No, my only priority was a kit still laughing her furry little ass off.

"Kaen, come here" I ordered her, my tone causing her to immediately quiet her giggling fit and pad towards me with her head lowered submissively. I told Sensei to go on back to the group so I could have some time alone with Kaen. After he was gone, I turned my attention to the already sobbing kit.

"I'm sorry daddy" she sniffled, obviously trying to tug on my heart strings.

"Cut that crap out, it don't work on me." I said, making her stop the fake tears and look up at me with a mixture of fear and sorrow. It really did hurt my heart seeing her like this, especially if I might be the cause, but I had to help her learn. "Now what have I told you about interrupting a battle?"

"Not to do it cause I might get hurt" she muttered . I nodded and kept my glare as I crossed my arms and looked down at her for a few minutes to try and let that fear sink in. I gently picked her up and walked her back to the campsite, feeling her tremble in my hold. She was genuinely afraid of the fact that I would punish her which, believe me, I would.

I was going to go easy on her though and simply dropped her smack-dab in the middle of the campsite and ordered everyone to simply ignore her, but don't let her leave that spot. I knew that this would be a suitable punishment without the act of me having to actually wip her tail...no pun intended. I'm sure some people think that this might have been a little too light of a punishment, but you have to look at it through her perspective. She was basically a little ball of fur hopped up on a Red Bull and Mtn Dew cocktail that couldn't stay still if she wanted to. Now put in the factors of literally being inches from everyone you could use to get that energy out, but forced to sit there while they pretended that you basically never existed in the first place.

Sounds like a good enough punishment to me.

"She once again interrupted a battle, did she not?" I heard from behind me and groaned when I felt the tongue I so loathed drag up behind my ear.

"Yes...she's gonna end up getting hurt if she keeps it up, and I fear the day that might happen" I sighed out and leaned back as I felt Yuki's soft fur envelop me after she had curled around me.

"I too am not looking forward to the day that should happen, she is so small, it would pain me to see her hurt, as I imagine it would you." I smirked and glanced over at her.

"Your speaking extra fancy today, special occasion?" I joked, receiving a smile and a light nip to the ear.

"No, I simply am excited to be able to spend some time with you after so long.

"So long?...its been maybe a day since we talked." she nodded and nuzzled my face.

"Yes it has, that is a very long time for me" she smiled and started licking the top of my head. I stared at her silently while she kept on licking me, finally just shaking my head and leaning back into her soft fur.

"Your a very strange Absol, you know that?" She didn't answer me, she didn't even seem to acknowledge me as she continued to "clean" me. I kind of hoped that, with Kaen in the picture, she would start to shift her attention to the Vulpix. All her hatching seemed to do though was make her do all of her motherly actions on a much more frequent scale. I mean she did what she was doing to me now just yesterday, but she thankfully allowed me to actually clean myself now and again.

"So I gotta ask, what are your thoughts on the next gym battle, with you being a dark type and all?" I asked her, finally making her pause and hum in contemplation.

"It is most likely that I will not be participating in the gym battle against Korrina, since I am at a disadvantage. Caleb will probably use you, Lilly, and Lee in that battle." She answered and laid her head in my lap with her tail right in front of her. I involuntarily gulped at where that very sharp tail was currently located, not like I didn't have anything important to protect down there or anything. I soon calmed myself though, confident she wouldn't hurt me on purpose when not in battle, and rested my head on her chest before I felt a sudden drowsiness overtake me and drag me into slumber.

At least that's what would have happened if Caleb hadn't practically screamed from his spot only inches from me, calling us for dinner. I shot him a glare with my eye twitching in annoyance and anger, but he wasn't fazed in the slightest.

"Sorry bud, you gotta eat" he said and placed a bowl in my lap, Yuki's head no longer on it so she could eat her meal. "This is a special blend, I ground a bit of protein and covered the food with the dust, this should help you hit a bit harder."

I raised a brow and hummed, examining the food before shrugging and popping one of the pellets in, instantly regretting it. I nearly gagged at the taste of the food as it assaulted my taste-buds in one of the worst tastes I had ever had the displeasure of having tasted.

"Yeah, they said it might not taste great" Caleb chuckled while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

 _'Not taste great? It tastes like it was shat out by a Muk'_ I mentally yelled at him, making him laugh just a bit harder. I narrowed my eyes and grabbed a pellet before tossing it into his open mouth. I smirked in satisfaction as he fell on his hands and knees and coughed repeatedly before running to the stream and scooping water in his mouth to wash out the taste.

'Drama Queen' I laughed before looking back at the food with disdain and holding my nose with a paw and downing the rest of it as quickly as possible.

"IT'S NOT WORKING!" Caleb shouted and actually started licking the grass to at least get another taste on his tongue. We all just watched the show in amusement from our spots before ignoring him and going back to whatever it was we were doing before.

I caught sight of Lilly out of the corner of my eye as she slowly approached Kaen, only to freeze when she saw me staring at her. I raised a brow before looking up at the sun to determine how long it had been and sighed, waving her on to give her the go ahead while I went back to relaxing on my furry pillow. She didn't seem to grasp the concept of a punishment all too well, but I was simply too lazy to try and stop her. I just blamed her new little motherly instincts and called it a day, no use worrying myself over such a trivial matter

"Hey there little one, are you doing ok?" I heard Lilly ask the Vulpix in a motherly tone. I didn't concern myself it, doesn't mean I ain't gonna eavesdrop on the conversation, wouldn't be like me to simply ignore it in the first place.

"I'm ok mommy...is daddy mad at me?" Kaen asked the Braixen quietly, most likely afraid of me actually hearing her or something.

"No baby, he's not mad, he's just upset with what you did. He cares for you a lot and he just doesn't want to see you get hurt." She answered and I peeked open an eye to see her stroking the fox's head softly. This elicited a purr from the little fox and she hopped into Lilly's arms and snuggled up to her furry chest. It was the picture of adorable to me and would have been to Ashley if she was actually even here right now.

Your probably wondering where she is right? No? Well I'm telling you anyway.

Last time I checked, she and Axel walked off into the woods somewhere to "forage" for any berries for the road. I'm pretty sure this was a bold-faced lie since I've been seeing those two share the creepy goo-goo eyes since we set off. Hell I bet five bucks with Caleb that they'd hook up by the time we reach Shalour City. This bet was purely for shits-and-giggles since we all know I ain't got a dime to my name, but we still treated it like it was the real deal.

 _'I think I just might win this bet Caleb'_ I taunted and looked over at his surprisingly confident face.

"Don't count your Torchic's before they hatch buddy-boy." I was instantly concerned for the well being of the humans that walked in those woods without a single Pokémon by their side...no wait, they got Sakura. Now I was a lot more worried.

 _'I'm gonna regret asking this, but what did you do?'_ He smirked and held up a Tamato berry towards me.

'Uh-oh'

"I might have snuck some Tamato berry juice in Axel's water container...3...2...1" He counted down on his fingers and, as soon as he reached zero, the entire forest went from serenely quiet to being akin to a black metal concert with a Banshee as the lead vocalist.

"Christ alive" I muttered while I rubbed my sore ears. Sometimes having such good hearing can be a curse.

"Mission accomplished" Caleb stated and leaned back in his chair, satisfied with his work. I stared at him disbelievingly with my head tilted.

 _'You my friend, are a different kind of messed up' He smirked again._

"I aim to please" he said with a thumbs up. I rolled my eyes and, begrudgingly, rose from my comfortable backrest. I still had training to do and I couldn't do that lying down. Sensei had other ideas since he was fast asleep next to Caleb, most likely pretty worn out from our last sparring match. I would be tired to if I got my rear end handed to me for the last half hour, so I let him rest while I went back to the clearing and practiced my attacks under the watchful eyes of my trainer.

He was most likely already formulating strategies for the upcoming battle, but the problem was that we were flying blind. We had no idea what Korrina's strategy's were, here Pokémon, or even what she freaking looked like. This definitely caused me and Caleb to stress out over it, I even broke my rule about not stressing if that tells you anything.

We did know one thing though, and it scared the crap out of me. I eavesdropped on a few trainers back in Geosenge Town while they were talking about their recent attempt to acquire the Rumble Badge. Apparently Korrina had a Lucario...and it could mega-evolve.

I shivered just thinking about it. The fact that she had that bond with her Lucario scared me just as much as the mega-evolution. Trainers who are that in sync with their Pokémon are very dangerous individuals in a battle.

'No doubt that its gonna be a hard battle...I'm not sure were ready to face mega-evolution yet' I thought while I continued my training. The tree I had chosen as a target had long since fell from my first Blaze Kick, and it was an extremely sturdy Oak tree. This proved that at least I was powerful, but the problem was the simple fact that it was a tree. Tree's can't fight back...Pokémon can...and their was always a chance I would topple just like this tree.

'Doesn't mean I'm gonna give up though' To give up is to admit defeat, and I never stop fighing till the end. There was still a chance for victory, and I made a promise to Caleb.

I looked back at my trainer and locked eyes with him, that fiery determination and confidence shining in those deep blue eyes of his. It made me smile as it fueled my inner flame and reminded me that I had a reason to give it my all. I made a promise to Caleb, I would see him get to the Pokémon League, and I would be the one to be their to fight by his side.

"Don't worry Caleb, I've got your back till the very end" I peeked back over to the fallen tree, the side blackened and ashed up from the intensity of my Blaze Kick. "Next stop Shalour City...watch out Korrina, were coming for you."

 **Ta-da, chapter 19, hope you enjoyed. I'll try and get the next chapter up as soon as possible. Probably sometime next week, depending on my schedule.**

 **Now I must say farewell, and to all those reading who have a family member or friend that has served in the Military, I want you to tell them thanks this Memorial Day for serving and defending this country. This applies to everyone around the world as well. If you have lost someone close to you in the line of duty, then I wanted you to know that holding the pain from their loss is hard, but never forget their** **sacrifice. Finally, to everyone who has served and is reading this for some reason, then I salute you sir/madam.**

 **I think that covers everything, and with that, I bid you ado.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey y'all, I'm back. Sorry about the wait on this chapter, I've been on vacation, and haven't had the computer for a while. But now I'm back and ready to write once again.**

 **Enjoy**

 _'Seriously, that gym leader needs to learn a thing or two about location!'_ I growled and turned to look at the Shalour City gym in the distance. Seemed someone wanted to screw with a few trainers, so they decided to put the damn thing in the middle of the freaking ocean. Then, to add insult to injury, you could only reach it during low tide. That much I actually remember, other than that, I'm SOL in the info department.

"Calm down now Aaron, no need to get all worked up over it" Ashley said, attempting to calm my otherwise seething attitude.

"He's got a right to be mad over it, we've been training our butts off for this battle. Imagine how we feel with it being right there, yet so far away." Caleb disagreed and pointed an angry finger towards the gym. Ashley glared at him and pushed his arm back down to the table.

"Shut up and eat your food before I force it down your throat to quiet you down." Caleb glared back at her and mumbled a few words that even I couldn't understand and went back to his meal.

I forgot to mention that, since we now literally had a few hours to kill until low-tide, we decided to wait out the sun in a nearby beachside restaruant that literally sat inches from the coastline. You know what I'm talking about, those little shacks on the beach that you buy your food at the counter than literally eat right on the beach. They even let me have people food again, oh how I treasured that moment in time. There's nothing that can substitute the taste of a freshly grilled burger.

"So whats's your battle plan Caleb?" Axel asked with a mouthful of food. Sensei was quick to do what I was about to do and slammed his mouth shut.

"Manners Axel" sighed the Martial Arts Pokémon, his paw still held under his trainers chin. He didn't release the boys jaw until he was sure he had already swallowed and he stuck his tongue out right after it was freed. Sensei raised a paw threateningly and Axel quickly reeled his appendage back to its rightful place to avoid his Pokémon forcing him to bite it off.

"When have we ever had a plan?" Caleb replied with a chuckle, causing Ashley to look at him questioningly.

"You don't have a plan...why?"

 _'We never have a plan'_ I answered for him and glanced at Caleb, _'We just wing it, that is the plan.'_

"But Caleb told me about his first gym battle, sounds like you had at least some semblance of a strategy." I nodded and rubbed my legs, remembering the strain I had put on them with the Blaze Kick.

"That wasn't a strategy, that was a contingency. We just prepared for the worst possible outcomes, no strategy for the battle was even remotely thought of."

 _'Beside's, this guy couldn't form a strategy to save his life'_ I jested and nudged his side with an elbow.

"Hey! I take offence to that!" He shouted, making everyone at the table chuckle at his outburst. I patted his back light-heartedly while he just crossed his arms and pouted. I heard him mutter about how mean I was, but just rolled my eyes and turned back to Ashley.

 _'Now I'd be lying if I said we were going in there without at least trying to figure out something to help us...but there in lies the problem.'_

"What problem would that be?"

"Mega-evolution" Caleb cut me off before I could answer her. I nodded and rested my head on the table with my eyes closed. We had to find a way around this factor, but the problem was that neither of us have had any experience against mega-evolved Pokémon before. Its hard to fight something you don't understand, thats why its basic natural instinct to fear the unknown.

 _'What's worse is the simple fact that it's a Lucario, my evolved form.'_ This meant that it was probably already stronger than me. The idea of something like that hitting me scared me enough, the fact that it had a damage boost simply terrified me. I felt something land on my back and rub across my spine. I smiled as I could already tell that it was Lilly trying to calm me down a lot more efficiently than any of the others ever could.

"Don't worry hon, I'm sure we'll do just fine, where's all that confidence you usually have?" She asked and nuzzled my cheek.

"Chucked into the endless abyss like all of my hopes and dreams" I sarcastically stated without lifting my head from the table. This earned a small giggle from her as she forced my head off of the table and onto her fluffy chest. I still had trouble holding back the blush as the human part of my brain decided to say hello and remind me of my position.

"Well you better buck up soon, your not making me and Lee carry us through the battle." I chuckled before turning to the Kirlia sitting across from me. It still felt kind of strange seeing the guy like that. Seriously, if I hadn't already known he was a he, I think I might have actually hit on him a few times...don't judge me. I can't help the fact that he looks like a ballerina...he'd probably kill me if he heard me saying that.

 _'I already did.'_

"HOLY SHIT!" I yelped and held a paw to my chest while I stared at Lee in horror. I completely forgot that he was a Psychic, he's probably been reading my thoughts all of this time.

 _'I have, and I must say, I am terrified of everything you are hiding in that head of yours.'_ He said with a shutter, not liking the images he now has to try his hardest to unsee. I smirked and laughed at his misfortune.

 _'No one's mind is clean bud, you gotta rememeber that my mouth is filtered, but my mind has literally no restrictions.'_

 _'I see that now, which is why I am going to avoid ever going back in there...you have a very dirty mind brother'_ He said and scratched the back of his head with a light blush adorning his pure white face. I shrugged and went back to resting my head on Lilly.

 _'Come's with the territory bud.'_

 _'What territory?'_

 _'I'll explain when your older'_ I smirked and glanced over at him with one eye. He didn't look to happy about me keeping a secret from him and, when I paid attention, I could actually feel him trying to pry the information from my head. I just sent him a dirty thought to get him to stop and he immediatly gagged and cut off any link he had to my brain.

"So seriously...no strategy?" Axel asked with a hint of amusement in his tone.

"Not a lick, right Aaron?" I hummed in affirmative while I drifted in and out of the conversation while I allowed myself to relax for the first time in a while. The stress can get to you after a few days and make every muscle in your body ache. I can't be tense in the gym battle, I had to be flexible and ready for anything.

"Well maybe we can ask a few people about the Gym Leader here, then we can at least get an idea of what your going to be facing." Ashley suggested. I didn't really want to agree with her, because that would mean getting up, but I couldn't really argue her reasoning behind her idea.

 _'Sure, you go do that, I have more important matters to attend to.'_ I said with a wink and lifted my chin to peck Lilly on her cheek, causing a light blush to form from the affectionate touch. Ashley and Caleb just rolled their eyes while Lee and Sensei gagged, Axel just looked on impassively.

"Whatever man, come on you guys." With that said, they all followed Caleb off of the beach, leaving me and Lilly to finally have our alone time. I smiled up at her and leaped out of my chair and offered my paw to her. She smiled and took it in her's, then we proceeded to do the most cliché action ever though of by man, walking together on a sunset lit beach. I had to laugh at the irony of the situation since scenes like this would almost always make me groan while I flipped through channels on the TV in the Center rooms.

 **Short romance scene, just ignore if you want since it has nothing to do with the story.**

"It feels nice, doesn't it...just ignoring the rest of the world and enjoying all of the little things in life?" Lilly asked while she watched the sun slowly set over the horizon, casting shades of red and violet across the crystal blue waves of the sea.

"That supposed to be a short joke" I kidded, earning a small smack to the back of my head.

"Don't ruin the moment" she scolded and gave me a glare. Her expression softened quickly though as she laughed a little at the joke and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. I did the same as I held onto her waist, hugging her close to me.

"...You know, I'd never actually thought I'd be so lucky" I smiled and look up at her curious eyes, "I have a second chance at life, I have a great trainer, great friends, and one foxy lady by my side."

"Is everything you say a pun?" She giggled and nuzzled my head softly.

"It's only because you bring out the best in me" I said, nuzzling her back. She rolled her eyes and went back to looking at the beautiful sunset. The gym was still in sight, but I didn't concern myself over it. I wasn't goning to let something as trivial as the gym distract me from her, not this time.

"It sure is beautiful...like a work of art." I nodded before leading her down to sit on the soft sand of the beach.

"It truly is...but its no where near as beautiful as you love" I said and laid my head on her shoulder. She laid her head on top of mine and let out a content sigh as she enjoyed the warmth from the fading sun and and the softness of my fur.

"Go on sweetheart, I know you got more of those in there for me." I smirked and nudged her side lightly, making her giggle.

"I could go on and on about your beauty love, but I don't have more than one life." I chuckled at how corny all of this truly sounded...and I loved every second of it.

 **Romance scene ended, back to the story.**

"Ok love-birds, get a room." I heard someone shout from behind me and growled as my trainer ran up to us. We both shot him a glare since he ruined a perfectly good moment between us.

"You couldn't have given us like five more minutes, ugg!" Lilly growled and crossed her arms before looking away from her trainer with a huff. I just punched his leg angrily, making him fall to a knee, then hit him with an uppercut under his jaw. I pulled my punches when I hit him, but considering how strong I truly was, he would definitely be feeling that in the morning.

"OW! What did I do!" He yelled while holding his jaw while he propped himself up on an elbow to avoid laying on the sand. We just glared at him again and I projected my incredible annoyince at him. I couldn't held but shudder though, I was angry, but Lilly was straight up pissed. I felt murderous intent emanating from the fox Pokémon as she actually pulled her stick from her bushy tail, causing it to spark up and catch fire before being pointed at her trainer.

Caleb stared at his starter in shock and horror, as did I. I quickly tried to pacify the sutuation and stepped between the two and grabbed onto Lilly's arm lightly, slowly pushing the stick back down to her side.

"Easy Lilly, we'll kill him later when their are no witnesses" I said, catching her glare before she took in a deep breath and calmed herself down. I released a pent-up breath I didn't know I was holding when I saw her stash the stick back in her tail and glare at Caleb one last time before grabbing her Pokéball from his belt and returning herself to it, most likely so she could fume without seriously hurting one of us.

"What...just happened?" Caleb asked after a few minutes after the shock finally left his system. I rolled my eyes and grabbed his hand to help him back up to his feet.

 _'Simple, you f'ed up bro'_ I answered after he was finally upright again. He sighed and started patting himself down to rid his clothes of all of the sand they had collected after his little fall.

"Yeah, maybe I did...sorry about that by the way, didn't think she'd take it so seriously" I sighed in annoyance, but smiled up at my trainer none-the-less.

 _'It's alright, just make sure you apalogize to Lilly, k?'_

"Got it" he nodded and went back to wiping himself off. That's when I heard footsteps approaching us and I tensed myself in preporation to defend my trainer, but instantly relaxed, seeing as it was only Ashley and Axel. I noticed someone else following close behind them and a moment of realization struck me when I noticed who said person was.

Bike helmet, red and white sleevless dress. long blond ponytail, a mega-stone glove, and to top it all off, a Lucario walking right beside her. It only took me a second to connect the dots before I instantly recognized who she was.

"Korrina" I muttered under my breath and stared at her in awe.I couldn't believe it, the gym leader was here...actually out of her gym and actually walking around the town. There was no possible way that this was a coincidence, it had to be planned. Then I remembered that there was a legendary literally watching my every move. It was still pretty hard to believe that Mew or any of the other legends going out of their way to cause this meeting.

I looked up at Caleb to try and make sure I wasn't seeing things, only to sweat-drop as I saw him ogling the fighting type trainer. The boy seriously had a crush on the girl, not that I could really blame him. The girl honestly didn't look half bad, I'd date her if I was still human. I could see reason behind him being so enamored with her, she probably wasn't even that much older than her.

"There you are, why did you run off like that?" Axel asked his new friend out of breath from probably having to chase him. Caleb just smirked and pointed a finger down to me.

"He was happy and content, I can't have that after he was being so disrespectful to his trainer earlier." He joked. I rolled my eyes and bumped his leg, making him stumble ever so slightly.

'Guess I need to learn better muscle control.'

"Well you shouldn't have just left us like that, imagine how immature you looked to the freaking gym leader." Ashley scolded and yanked on his ear like a mother would her child.

"Ow! Easy" he yelped and held onto his sore ear. I couldn't help but chuckle at his misfortune while the others looked at him in various degrees of amusement.

"That's quite alright, there's nothing wrong with wanting to mess around with your Pokémon, right Lucario?" Korrina said and elbowed the jackal Pokémon beside her. Said Pokémon smiled and nudged her back.

"Indeed, there is nothing wrong with having some fun." The Lucario answered in a soft, feminine tone(That's right, I'm making Korrina's Lucario female, get over it).

Now I realized why I had looked at Lucario a little longer than necessary, she was a female. Now that I'm looking at her more closely, she truly was an amazing sight. Her cobalt blue fur was clean and shiny, obviously she was very well groomed every day from the looks of things. Her ruby red eyes were no let beautiful, the deep scarlet irises shining in the dim sunlight.

I shook my head and slapped myself to pull myself from my examinings and turned away from her with a deep blush on my face. If Lilly had caught me ogling the Lucario like Caleb did Korrina, then I was completely and totally screwed.

"Aaron...Aaaaron, you there?" I heard Caleb ask me while waving a hand in my face. I must have zoned out for a second there or something. I shook my head again and glanced up at him, trying to avoid so much as looking at the Lucario's general direction.

 _'Sorry, wha'd you say?'_ I asked, making him sigh and look up at Korrina in apology.

"Our friend was trying to introduce herself to you, and you just blanked out. What's up man?" I felt his concern for me and waved him off to avoid feeling that emotion for long.

 _'Just lost in thought'_ I told him before turning to look at Korrina and bowed respectfully. _'It is a pleasure to meet you.'_

"Whoa! He can use telepathy?" Korrina asked, clearly suprised by this little discovery. I tilted my head questioningly and gave her a hesitant nod.

 _'Yes, I can...can't Lucario use it too?'_ She got over the shock and shook her head, her eyes still wide in suprise.

"No, my Lucario doesn't have the ability to use telepathy." Lucario perked up at the mention of her name and looked at her trainer before setting her sights on me. Her eyes lit up when she realized what I was and practically sprinted at me, making me yelp before my muzzle was suddenly pressed right up against her chest, only inches from her chest spike.

"Oh my Arceus, a Riolu. Finally, another one of my species line!" She cried out and nuzzled my head. I just stared at everyone around with eyes filled with a mixture of suprise and horror. Korrina laughed and quickly came to my rescue, prying me out of Lucario's hug and setting me back down firmly on the sand.

"Sorry...Aaron was it?" I nodded, "You see, its been ages since Lucario has seen another of her evolutionary line since grandpa went on his trip to Hoenn about three years ago. Old coot still won't tell me why he's there." She sighed with a shake of her head before looking back down at me with a smile. She kneeled down so she was closer to my height and held her hand out towards me.

"Anyway, my name's Korrina, I'm the Shalour City gym leader and your next opponent in the league challenge." I smiled back and placed my paw in her hand, giving it a friendly shake. "And that old dog over there is Lucario, my friend and partner."

"Hey, I am not old by any means!" Lucario shouted angrily and suddenly tackled Korrina, making them tumble around in the sand while they wrestled. We all just watched with a smile as trainer and Pokémon played around with each other.

"How come we never wrestle like that?" Caleb asked without taking his eyes from the pair.

 _'Cause I could bench press three of you'_ I answered, seeing him shrug at my responce. The two kept at it for quite a bit before Korrina suddenly found herself pinned to the ground with a 119 Ib jackal planted on her stomach. I could feel the love the two had for each other while I watched them, they treated and saw each other like sister. I was actually a little jealous at their bond and glanced over at Caleb before a sigh escaped my lips. Maybe with a little more time, we'll bond closer over time.

I must have lost control of my ability to mask my emotions since I felt Caleb's arms wrap around my waist and lift me from the ground. I turned my head up to see him smiling at me sadly while he hugged me to his chest. He probably had the same thoughts as I, our bond at least being strong enough to tell what the other is feeling.

"Ok, uncle, uncle!" Korrina laughed after trying to escape the Lucario's hold with little success. Lucario smiled and hopped to her feet, offering her paw to the girl. She smiled back and took it in her hand, pulling herself up from the sand, and turning her attention back to us.

"Sorry about that, Lucario can be really rowdy sometimes." She laughed while her Pokémon crossed her arms, but still held a smile on her muzzle.

"No worries, like you said, nothing wrong with having some fun" Caleb chuckled while I nodded with a smile. "Now I'm sorry about asking so late in the evening, but I was kind of hoping I could challange you to a gym battle?" Korrina smiled sadly and shook her head in responce.

"I'm sorry, I'd love to have a battle with you, but the battle field is closed until the damages are repared." She informed us, making Caleb's posture slouch as he looked at her in suprised sorrow. Ashley patted his back while I questioned the her about the damages.

"Apparently someone thought it was a good idea to bring a Blaziken with a very hot temper, no pun intended, and pit him against my team, darn bird lost his temper barely seconds into the match and nearly destroyed half the stadium." She answered with a sigh and turned back to look at the sun as it shined for its last few minutes. "I can offer to board you all up in the gym until the repairs are finished in about a week or so."

Caleb instantly perked up at the offer and readily agreed while thanking her profusely. She smiled and looked to the ocean when the signs of low-tide showed. The path to the Tower of Mastery soon showed itself as the water receded and granted access to the Shalour City Gym.

 _'Stuck here for two weeks huh...ah well, least we get to train a bit more'_ I told Caleb while we walked, me still being held in his arms.

"Yeah...we'll train really hard for the next week and earn that badge, first try." He said confidently. "And maybe hit it off with Korrina while I'm at it." He muttered under his breath, making me snicker quietly. I freaking called it, Caleb was crushing on the gym leader...maybe I'll help him out, should be good for a few laughs.

There was still a problem with having to stay here for a prolonged period of time. One being that, I didn't like how that Lucario was looking at me, taking glances at me when she thought I wasn't looking and turning away quickly with a blush. I questioned her actions since I was still a Riolu, not a Lucario.

Maybe she expected me to evolve soon and was looking at me like that for a reason. I just really, really, really hoped I was wrong, or I was definitely screwed.

'God help me.'

 **As always, I ask you to please send me feedback every once in a while. I feel so lonely when y'all don't contact me after so long, haha.**


	21. Chapter 21

**I'm Baaaack, did you miss me? I hope so, cause I really missed you lot. I hope y'all are doing well today, or whatever day it is that you happen to be reading this. Nothing really to report, just the standard thanks for staying and reading. Now I'm gonna shut up and let you read.**

"Ok, seriously, this ain't funny no more!" I shouted to the giggling Kirlia as he dangled me over the edge of the top tier of the Tower of Mastery using his Physic. The kid developed an extremely twisted sense of humor with his evolution and this resulted in plenty of sick jokes that he started playing on all of us. Sadly, this meant that he upgraded from jump scares to actually putting us in danger for sake of entertainment.

"How's it hanging brother?" Lee laughed at his own lame joke and I felt myself fall ever so slightly.

"Oh, very funny, now let me go you sadistic little bastard!" I seem to have chosen my words very poorly since his grin started to grow and that's when I felt gravity come into play. I screamed in an octave I probably wasn't able to hit since before puberty. I jerked to a full stop when his hold on me returned and I shot him a glare while he just kept on laughing.

"LEE, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" I heard someone shout and looked to see a very pissed off Braixen storming up behind him. His control wavered once again as I felt fear begin to emanate from him from being caught by someone like her. He knew to never tick off Lilly for the sake of his own health, messing with her mate was not a good way of avoiding harm to his person.

"Oh...hey Lilly" He said with a nervous chuckle and a small wave. Lilly didn't respond or even acknowledge him until after she had reached out over the edge and pulled me back on to solid ground, but after I was safe, he was not. She actually grabbed him by his collar and chucked him over the railing without a word. I shot back over to the edge to check on the boy to make sure he didn't die from the good twenty story fall. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that he had landed in Axel's arms. I was glad that he just happened to be there so that Lee wouldn't have turned into a green and white paste on the cobblestone floor.

"Little prick" Lilly said before wrapping her arms around my waist and pulling me closer to her and away from the edge.

"Agreed, but be easy on him, he is just a kid." I said in an effort to sooth her anger. She scared me just as much as everyone else when she was mad.

"Go easy on him, how can you say that Aaron, he dangled you over the freaking railing!" She seethed and tightened her hug around me. I shrugged and held a paw over my stomach, the stress from the event finally getting to me.

"He's at that age where he straight up turns into Satan incarnate, he'll grow out of it…hopefully." Lilly sighed in exasperation and led me down the ramp towards the ground floor.

I wondered why I liked the top of the tower so much, going there to meditate every other hour for the couple days we've been stuck here. It seems Lucario liked it as well and often met me on the balcony to join me during my sessions. I gotta say that she is actually a pretty good Pokémon to hang out with. She was quiet, polite, and loved to train like I did. It was scary to see just how much in common we were, but she didn't seem to see me in any way I should have been worried about. I'm not dense like a lot of guys are, I pick up on the little things, which I hadn't caught from her during the time we spent together. This meant that I had nothing to be concerned over, or she was just really good at concealing her emotions from me, hopefully the former.

"I still don't understand how you can be so calm about things like this, you could have died if he had dropped you from that height"

"But he didn't" I replied and hugged an arm around her waist. "I'm still here, he didn't drop me, and you got to satisfaction of throwing him over the side without the guilt of killing him." She smiled and rolled her eyes at my answer.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" I heard Caleb ask from his spot on the mat he sat on when he was talking to Korrina, who was also there for whatever it is she did when she was there. I blinked and looked around, surprised I had actually gone so far without even realizing it.

'Guess I was lost in conversation longer than I realized.' I thought while I threw my trainer and the gym leader a short wave. I forgot to mention how much progress everyone seemed to be making while we were here. I'm not talking about the training, but everyone has been busy one way or another. Long story short, Caleb owes me five bucks after we figured out that our two companions had actually hit it off pretty early while Caleb has been making some surprisingly decent headway in getting a date with Korrina. Apparently, he wasn't the first trainer to ask her out since she was actually only about a year older than most of the trainers she got in here, which were usually around 18 years old.

He couldn't have done it without my help though. I've been going out of my way to make sure he at least had a decent shot with the girl. I did everything from getting them alone in a somewhat romantic setting to giving him lines during those times. Believe it or not, I actually know a thing or two about romance and pretty much carried that boy to where he was now, which was pretty much just up to where all he had to do was ask her out.

Why did I do all of this for them...cause I was bored…that's pretty much it. I didn't want to train here since it could give away our fighting style, Lilly was usually off doing God knows what with Yuki and Kaen, and there was absolutely no way I'd hang around the hell spawn known as Lee. This left me very few options in the form of entertainment and, since meditation got pretty boring after an hour or two, that left me the only remaining option, meddling with another person's love life.

' _Not bad, little hiccup with Lee, but other than that nothing really been going on.'_ I told him after taking seat beside him.

"What did he do this time?" Caleb asked with a sigh. I wasn't the only victim of Lee's latest hobby of evilness, he got Caleb just as much as he did me.

' _Dangled me over the top balcony, nothing major.'_ He looked down at me with surprise before another sigh escaped his lips and his hand landed on my head.

"You confuse me sometimes bud...I'm honestly scared to figure out what you consider major." He said while he kept petting me. I smirked and picked myself up so I could look like I was whispering in his ear. I gave him a subtle wink and covered my muzzle with a paw. This got a laugh out of Korrina and, once Caleb caught on, he played along and we soon got the girl giggling.

' _You got the best wingman ever'_ I told him after ending our little charade and sitting myself back down beside him. He rolled his eyes and gave me a low five in thanks before watching me head off with literally no destination in mind. Lilly stayed behind for whatever reason she had, leaving me to simply walk around the tower.

My walk ended up leading me outside of the tower where I was instantly assaulted by the fresh sea breeze blowing through my fur. The sun shined over the horizon as it threw out its beautiful sunset rays across the water as I walked along the beach. I usually ended my day here, simply enjoying nature and its beauty.

"Nothing like a day at the beach eh?" I heard from behind as Lucario appeared beside me. I wasn't at all fazed by her appearance since I was already used to how quite she tended to be when she walked. I smiled and held my arms out wide, trying to soak up as much of the sun as I could.

"Indeed...I've always liked the beach, ever since I first saw it." I told her and cracked an eye open to see she was copying my every movement.

"As have I...it's always been a very peaceful place for me to go." She said as she fell to her knees with her paws folded in her lap. I nodded and took a seat on the snow-white sand with my legs crossed in my meditation position. That's how we were for quite a while, simply sitting in silence while we watched the waves crash upon the shore in a calming rhythm.

"...Soooo..." I started in some poor attempt to break the silence between us. She looked at me in amusement.

"So…" She said back with a grin, making me blush a little in my sudden lapse in social skills. Thankfully, she didn't let me suffer long before finally letting out a small giggle at my sudden cold-feet. "Are you excited about the battle, won't be long until the gym is all fixed up." I blew out a sigh of relief and leaned back on my paws.

"Yeah, I have no idea how any of you battle, it's really exciting." She nodded and moved so her legs were to her side while she sat on the sand.

"I could say the same for you and your team, me and my partners have faced many trainers and their Pokémon. Everyone is different on their approach to a battle, it will be quite interesting to see how all of you perform against us."

"Indeed, I can already feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins, I can hardly sit still anymore" I pushed myself up from the ground and threw a few punches in an attempt to let out a little bit of that energy. She smirked and did the same before stepping in front of me with her paws on her hips.

"Well why don't we help get rid of some of that energy?" She suggested before popping her knuckles in a show of attempted intimidation. I shot her a smirk of my own and shook my head at the offer.

"No way, you'd see my fighting style, that's a big no-no" I said with a wiggle of my finger...nub...whatever. She looked legitimately surprised from my denial and blinked before her smirk turned into a half-smile and she chuckled.

"Well played my friend, and here I thought I had you." She said in mock disappointment, "You definitely have better control over yourself than I did when I was a Riolu. I couldn't resist a fight if I even wanted to."

"So you can resist a fight now?"

"Nope." She answered simply and playfully punched me on the shoulder, "Come on, its probably near dinner time." I nodded and fell in step behind her. It was actually a pretty common occurrence for Lucario to join me on my trips to the beach. I didn't mind though, I liked the company.

"Daddy!" I smiled and ducked under the red and white blur that soared over my head and looked to see my adoptive daughter crouched down, ready to play. I smiled and told Lucario to go on ahead while I approached Kaen slowly. I narrowed my eyes in challenge and braced myself as she tore off towards me with a Tackle. I tanked the hit no problem and hugged the wriggling kit to my chest to prevent her escape.

"Gotcha" I laughed alongside her while she struggled in my grip. She went as far as actually biting me to try and get me to release her. I was already well aware of how rough she played and patiently sat through the little pain, her strength not quite being enough to actually hurt me yet.

"Let go, no fair!" She giggled and struggled for a few more seconds before finally calming down and choosing to nuzzle my chest instead. I caught sight of a certain Kirlia in the distance and mentally smirked before coming up with a plan.

"I can't play right now baby girl, but I heard Lee was really wanting to play." I told her and released her.

"Really, where is he, I wanna play!" She shouted and looked all around for Lee. I chuckled and pointed out his location, watching her charge towards him and tackling the unsuspecting Physic/Fairy type to the floor. I had to hold back a laugh as he struggled under the hyper fox for a few minutes until I heard someone calling my name. I looked to see Caleb waving me down from the tower entrance where he and the rest of the group were eating their supper.

"There you are bud, out walking the beach again?" He asked and set my bowl down, offering me the familiar brown pellets of the Pokéfood. I sighed, my hope for a little variety crushed. "Sorry bud, that's the only thing I can afford that will fill you up every meal."

' _I know but, and I'll say it again, I don't have to like it'_ I growled the last part since I had already popped one in my jaws and bit down on the crunchy pellet. I still couldn't place the taste of these things, kind of tasting like a cross between a Circus Peanut candy and a Nilla Wafer...wait what are those?

I shrugged and forced the rest past my lips, finishing first I always did. I excused myself and made my way into the tower so I could go and meditate once again. I ignored the circling ramp and simply jumped from railing to railing until finally reaching the top.

'Man, I love doing that' I thought with a flex of my muscles. This body was so much more capable than that of any humans and I loved it. Sure, there are a few drawbacks like the fact that I can be captured and used for battling, I got lucky enough to find someone I didn't mind doing this for, but I'm glad I got the chance to experience it. I still don't really understand why I was chosen for the second chance that led me to me being put in this body in the first place.

This was the main subject of my contemplation during my entire session. I couldn't really meditate from the sudden onslaught of questions and riddles surrounding my life. There was so much I didn't know or comprehend, like how and when would Sunburst come into play, what was the test that Mew mentioned. I suddenly felt short of breath as my head started pounding and my stomach cramped up from all the stress that had built up so quickly.

'What if one of my friends got hurt because of me and this damn prophecy or some crap. What if I wasn't strong enough to do whatever it is I'm supposed to do. What if-' My thoughts suddenly came to a stop as the feeling of a familiar pair of arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me close.

"You alright hon?" I heard Lilly's voice ask me softly, her head resting on mine as if trying to shield me from any distress I may be feeling. I chocked down my nausea and nodded, not turning to look at her. I didn't want her to see me like this, weak and fragile. She saw right through me though and turned me around so I was facing her before gently pushing my head so it was nestled comfortably in her neck fluff.

"You don't have to lie to me love, I don't want to see you in so much pain." She whispered to me, sounding like she was on the verge of tears. I said nothing as I felt all of the emotions I had bottled up suddenly burst and I let the dam break. I don't know how, but she always knew ways to help me when I needed her most, this time was no different. I needed someone to confide in, someone to tell me that everything would turn out ok. I didn't want to burden anyone with my problems, but I knew that Lilly wouldn't let me suffer alone.

Try as I might though, the words just wouldn't leave my lips. I choked up and my throat went dry from the mere thought of telling her my past. Doubt, worry, and fear coursed through me, rendering me a nervous wreck. I felt the tears coming back and buried my face back in her neck so she wouldn't see me cry.

I didn't have the guts to tell her, I was scared of what she might think of me. That and telling her would put her in more danger than she already was by hanging around me. I knew that this fear was simply a byproduct of my emotions going haywire, but this fact did little to sway me in my position.

"I'm sorry...I just...I just can't tell you...I'm sorry Lilly" I muttered, my voice muffled by her fur. She just tightened her hold on me and purred gently in an attempt to calm me down. The care she showed for me in this moment, despite my hesitation, spoke louder than any words she could ever say. I felt loved and cared for, something that I felt like I had never actually experienced before.

"Its ok love, I understand, take your time, I'm in no hurry." Her words warmed my heart and filled me with joy. I looked up into her smiling face with tear filled eyes. She dried my tears with the back of her paw before pulling me into a gentle kiss. "I love you Aaron, and I'll be there for you when you need me." She told me after breaking the kiss and placing her forehead against mine. Never before had I felt happier than I have at this very moment. I felt cared for...I felt...loved. In that moment, the joy in my heart distracted me from the world around me. That's when I realized something amazing.

I was starting to glow.

"Lilly...its happening!" I muttered after breaking the hug and looking down at my paws as they started the shine ever brighter. That's when I noticed them begin to grow longer, along with the rest of my body. My bones felt like they were getting heavier as I grew into my secondary typing, and after that, I'm not sure what happened. The light coming off of me grew too bright for even me, and I was forced to close my eyes. The light bled through my eyelids until it exploded in a flash of pure white.

Then I saw nothing but darkness. The lights had stopped and I allowed myself to open my eyes. The first thing I saw was the face of my beautiful Braixen smiling at me warmly.

"You did it Aaron" she said and reached an arm out to take my paw in hers, giving me the first sight of my new body. The paw she held in hers was a deep, charcoal black, a stark contrast between her snowy white fur. She gently touched the tip of the new spike that replaced the little metal bump that used to be there before.

"So I did...least I'm not so short anymore." I joked and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, enjoying the feeling of her head against my chest for a change. She giggled while nuzzling and relaxing against my tan furred chest, enjoying the new height difference between us.

"I'm so happy now Aaron." She suddenly stated, causing me to look down at her with my head tilted questioningly.

"Why's that?" I asked, genuinely confused. She smiled and took a step away to look up into my eyes.

"Because they say Riolu evolve when their happy...you evolved because of me...I made you this happy." She explained though teary eyes and wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me down for a small kiss.

"You've always made me happy Lilly...I'm glad we met each other...I couldn't imagine living any day without you by my side." I smiled and tapped her nose with my own. She closed her eyes and inhaled my scent while I did the same for hers, it bringing a strange calming affect to me.

"Come on, we need to go show Caleb, he'll definitely want to see you now" She said and walked off towards the ramp down while she dragged me behind her. I chuckled at her enthusiasm and followed her without a struggle, eager to see my trainers reaction.

'Won't that be fun to see.'

 **That's another chapter, up and about that, Aaron finally evolved. What will this mean for the future, how will the others react, and how will a certain Lucario feel about this. Stick around and find out.  
**

 **Do me a favor and please don't judge me too hard for this chapter. I've been having trouble lately with articulating my thoughts and putting them on paper, so to speak. Please send me your feedback for this chapter though, cause I know it can help me recover from my latest hiccup in my writing abilities.**

 **Bạn bè chia tay**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey everyone, did you miss me again? I have great news, the cops found out who broke into my house. That means I got my tablet back, WOOHOO! I was really lucky for the timing since I literally just moved out of my parents house. I seriously can't believe my luck. Hopefully it keeps up for awhile, fingers crossed. Wish me luck on my future endeavors, now onto the story.**

"Dude…this…is…AWESOME!" Caleb said with shout. He couldn't take his eyes off me, constantly running his hands over my new, much larger, form. He would constantly poke the new spikes on my wrists and chest, lift my new dreadlock like aura sensors, and petting over the new creamy tan fur on my chest. Ashley and Axel also looked at me in a mix of awe and admiration, probably appreciating my stronger form.

"My, my, isn't this a surprise." I heard Korrina say and step up beside Caleb so she could also examine me. I felt very self-conscious from all the attention I was currently getting, especially from my female counterpart standing over in the corner. "He's obviously a very powerful Lucario."

' _How can you tell that?'_ I asked while I looked up at her. I was still mad I didn't get all that much taller after my evolution, but hey, beggars can't be choosers.

"Very simple," she started and reached an arm out to take my paw into her gloved hand, "You see the shine that your spikes give off, these show definition and strength in Lucario, I'm not really sure how, but they do."

I just kinda stared her, not really understanding how she can tell strength through the shine of my spikes. Me and Caleb shared a look before I shrugged and backed away from them, suddenly feeling the need to release some pent-up energy. Korrina seemed to know what was going on and dragged Caleb back away from me before I hurt someone.

I got down into a fighting stance and threw a punch into the air, causing a small shockwave to form. I looked at my paw with wide eyes, surprised at the amount of force that the swing had released. I decided to experiment and threw a few more punches and kicks at my invisible target, each swing releasing a ripple of energy.

"Whoa." I heard everyone say after I had finally tired myself out and I returned to my normal, relaxed posture before them. Everyone looked at me silently from their distant spot until Caleb slowly inched forward before nearly tackling me in a hug, being mindful of the spike.

"Aaron, you've gotten so strong buddy" He happily stated and even took my feet off of the ground and started spinning in circles in his joy.

At least that was what was supposed to happen if I hadn't basically gained a good 75 pounds. Instead of lifting me up, he stood struggling for a few minutes without even making me budge from my spot. I chuckled a little and wrapped my arms around him and lifted him up and threw him up in the air. Not too high, only about a good eight feet. He still screamed like a little girl though when he realized he was airborne.

"AARON!" He screamed before falling back down into my arms in a bridal style carry. It was hilarious to see him so red faced, in anger or embarrassment I didn't know. Any attempt to scold me on his part fell on deaf ears since I was currently holding my gut from all the laughter. The others soon followed suit and his face got even redder and he started shouting at us to quiet down.

' _I'm sorry Master, but that was too funny'_ I giggled before finally settling down and offering him a cheeky smile. The look he gave me was not what I was expecting, no, he actually looked upset. I instantly straightened up and bowed to him apologetically. _'I apologize if I have upset you.'_ I felt his hand rest on my shoulder and I looked up at him.

"I'm not upset with you Aaron, I know you were just playing around, but I don't ever want to hear you call me Master again. I'm not your master, I'm your friend." He told me and offered a small smile. I smiled back and returned to my full height, which was only about to his stomach.

"Ok Caleb, I promise" I said with a nod. He nodded back and went off to talk to Korrina, probably because she was the resident expert on Lucario's, or something like that. Everyone else went back to whatever they were doing, even Lilly left me to go off with Kaen. This left me to my own devices and I took the opportunity to make myself scarce, disappearing into the shadows and leaping up the tower so I could be alone.

When I once again reached top of the tower, I fell to a knee with a paw held against my head. Ever since I showed everyone my new body, I had been having flashes of pain through my head. They were just minor inconveniences up until now, the one I was experiencing now was the worst one yet. My skull felt like it was cracking open and I couldn't hold back my pained screams. Then, just as it started to become too much, it stopped, leaving me on my paws and knees sucking down air.

' _Sorry about that.'_ I heard inside of my aching head. I ignored the voices and let myself fall to the ground, my sore cranium resting against the smooth stone floor.

"Fuck...what the hell...was that?" I asked no one in particular through gasping breaths. I heard the familiar giggle of the oh so strangleable pink feline. That's when she appeared before me, at least I think it was her, could have been a Jigglypuff for all I knew since all I could see from my spot on the floor was her feet.

"Sorry Aaron, it's incredibly hard to create a physic link with a Lucario without their help." Her tail came forward to rest on my forehead and rub it to try and sooth my pain.

"Why didn't you just wait then, I would have helped you, instead you try and melt my brain." I growled and feebly reached out to her, delivering a punch that had the impact of a feather from how weak the pain left me.

"Now where's the fun in that" She said after grabbing my paw and nuzzling it. I slowly turned my head to look at her smiling face.

"...I...am going...to kill you" She giggled from my response.

"Empty threats will get you no where. You know full well that you could never beat me in a battle." She stated confidently. I rolled my eyes before just closing them and ignoring her to the best of my ability.

We can all guess how that worked out for me.

The feeling of weightlessness came over me and I cracked an eye open to see her only inches from my face while she held me up with her Psychic. I hated it when people I wasn't all that familiar with got up in my face, as a result she had my full attention.

"Do you live simply to annoy me?" I deadpanned, making her giggle.

"Nope, I annoy everybody, at least that's what Arceus tells me." She replied and started spinning around me. If she are able to annoy a freaking god, then how do you think I felt right now.

"Annoyed, angry, hungry, tir-"

"Please get out of my head." I interrupted her and held my paw to my ears to block her out. I was thankful she at least left me some mobility while she dangled me in the air with her effing mind. "Why, there's so much cool stuff in there though." She pouted and faked a few tears. I raised a brow and imagined a few things that were beyond the rated T rating, making her actually drop me back on the ground while she gagged on just a mere thought that ran through my head.

"Ok, I'm not gonna touch that mind of yours ever again, I'll stick with your thought...bye." She said before promptly disappearing.

"Wait, is that the only reason you came to see me?" I yelled out to her. I thought she wouldn't answer since I received only silence for a few minutes before she giggled again.

' _Yep, pretty much, but I also wanted to give you this, should come in handy.'_ After she said this, a small spot of light suddenly appeared and out popped a small TM disk that flew towards me and landed at my feet. I stared at it before looking around for the Mew, but the cat was no where to be found.

"Well...that happened." I said before returning my attention to the disk at my feet. I picked it up with both paws and examined it closely. It had kind of a brownish color, letting me know it was at least a ground type move. I had never actually used one of these, but I did catch sight of Ashley using one of these on Sakura once, all I had to do was repeat the process.

I held the disk to my forehead and concentrated on it, watching as images and different styles of the move play through my head.

'What move do you wish to forget to learn the move encased in this disk?' I heard a little voice in the back of my head ask in the middle of the learning process. It wasn't really all that hard of a decision, dropping Close Combat being the least necessary move for me to have since I was already good in hand-to-hand. That's when I felt the knowledge of the move enter my subconscious, teaching me every way to use said move.

"Time to test it out" I decided and placed both my paws together, focusing on the energy of the earth all around me. That's when a soft blue light emerged from between my paws and I pulled my paws apart, forming a long bow-staff shaped like a bone. I swung the thing all around, spinning and vaulting across the tower to try and get a feel for the move. After a few minutes of practice attacks, I slammed the staff into the ground, making it disappear from sight.

The move Mew had given me, Bone Rush, gives me another advantage against Korrina's Lucario, and I could use every advantage I could get.

Why Mew had decided to give me this TM, or why she kept appearing, I will never know. At least she tried to be helpful to the man she kind of plopped down here from another dimension. I need to stop thinking about these things, let events come and go and just roll with the punches, that's what dad always said...I think...that saying sounds really familiar.

"I need to relax" I sighed and plopped down on my rear. It wasn't long before I heard soft footfalls behind me. I didn't even bother checking who it was, already having a pretty good guess since a pair of furry arms came to hug me from behind. Something felt different about the hug though, I couldn't quite place it. The body behind me wasn't as warm as a fire type should have been, and the size felt off.

I cracked an eye open to peek down at the arms across my chest. That's when I realized they were the wrong color, Lilly's arms were pure white, these were black and blue...and they had spikes right above the paws. Right then and there was when all alarms went off in my head and a broke out of the stranger's grip. I turned around to see Korrina's Lucario looking right back at me questioningly.

"Lucario, what the hell!?" I nearly shouted, having to keep my voice down lest anyone hear me and come to investigate. She tilted her head and slowly approached me, making me back up slightly.

"What's wrong Aaron, its just me." She said as if she had done nothing wrong. I stared at her disbelievingly, my mouth agape.

"What are you doing up here, more importantly, why were you hugging me?" I questioned, receiving a shrug as she continued her short trip towards me.

"Its all very simple, I see you as a suitable mate, and I wish to claim you as mine." She told me. I was now looking at her in horror.

"What?!...I already have a mate though." I said, backing away with every step she took.

"That matters little to me, when female Lucario find a worthy male, they will stop at nothing to make them theirs." I had to get away from this Lucario, but I had backed myself into a wall, halting my retreat. She seized the opportunity and closed the gap between us quickly. I was now muzzle to muzzle with Lucario, our snouts so close I could feel her warm breath across my cheek. "I deem you worthy to be mine, my one true mate."

I was running out of time to make a decision, so I just said screw it and headbutted her. The impact had the desired effect and sent her staggering back, creating enough of an opening for me to dive for the exit. She recovered much quicker than I had expected her to though and I was flung back into the wall, halting my escape. I picked myself up and shook my head to try and clear the dizziness the impact had given me, only to be put back on the wall with a Bone Rush across my chest.

"It's good that you put up a fight, shows that you have spirit, which is quite attractive to us females." I struggled against her, trying to get her off of me, but she held strong and kept me fixed in place. "But resisting is a futile effort on your part, you will never defeat me on your own."

"Never say never." I growled before slamming a Force Palm into her gut, knocking her back and giving me time to prepare myself. "I don't want to hurt you Lucario, just quit now and we can pretend this never happened." I offered. She didn't respond, only shot me an irritated look before running at me with a Power-Up Punch.

I leaped out of the way just before impact, making her miss me and ram her fist into the wall. I took the opportunity to hit her with a Blaze Kick, only for it to be intercepted by her Bone Rush. I twisted myself around to avoid her hit after canceling my move and backflipped a few times to give me some distance, big mistake.

I watched her rear both arms back before slamming her wrist spikes together, creating the horrible screeching sound of metal on metal. I had to hold my ears as they were assaulted by the noise, leaving me vulnerable to a Power-Up Punch to my chest. The hit launched me back and I skidded to a stop after flipping onto my feet with one paw to the ground.

"Why must you fight me, I promise we can save so much time if you merely accept me my mate." She said with a Bone Rush in her paws. I gritted my teeth together and rose up from the ground with my own Bone Rush.

"I...am not...your mate." I growled and leapt into the air and coming down at her with a jump strike. She blocked it effortlessly and pushed me off before thrusting her staff towards me. I curled around the bone and landed on my feet and swinging at her again before she blocked it. This is how it went for God knows how long, both of us taking swings at each other, only to be blocked or dodged until we were both out of breath.

"You can't keep this up Lucario" I said, my snout inches from hers while our staffs were locked together. She smirked and pulled the same trick I did before and headbutted me, giving her the proper distraction to ram her shoulder into my chest and leap onto my stomach while her paws held down my own.

"Neither could you" She tittered and leaned down to nuzzle my face lovingly. I growled and tried to break free from her grip, only for that to turn out like all of the other times she had pinned me. Now I was stuck under this obsessive female Lucario who wants to force me to be her mate. Worse part was, I was all alone.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!?"

Spoke to soon, that was Lilly's voice, no doubt about it. I internally fist pumped, she was exactly the one I needed.

"This crazy Pokémon's trying to claim me as her mate!" That was all I needed to say before a concentrated Flamethrower blasted the Jackal off of my stomach and onto the hard stone floor. The move looked to be a one hit KO, especially given how weak she was after our fight.

"No one touches my mate bitch." I heard the Braixen growl at Lucario before turning to look at me, the fury in her eyes replaced with worry as she watched me struggle onto my feet.

"Are you ok hon?" She asked while she helped me up, even flinging my arm around her shoulder to support me as she led me down the ramp of the tower.

"I'm alright...thanks to you sweetheart, thanks for the save." I said weakly before launching into a small coughing fit. The battle really took a lot out of me and it felt like I could barely stand. Lilly started to struggle under my weight and I felt my muscles weaken to the point that I couldn't support myself anymore, even with Lilly's help, and I collapsed.

"AARON!" She shouted and tried to help me up again, but my body refused to respond.

"Go...find Caleb...please." I begged her through tired eyes.

"But...Aaron-" I hushed her with a shaky paw before the limp fell back to the ground, heavy and useless at the moment.

"Please..." She looked like she was going to refuse again, but she finally seemed to see the logic behind my request and gave me a brisk nod before kissing my forehead and running off to find the others.

Then everything started to get darker and darker until my consciousness finally slipped and I was embraced by the darkness of sleep.

 **How about that huh, talk about a battle of possession. Now I'm sure I don't have to remind y'all, but please, make my day and send me a review or fave. Thats all I ask for.**

 **Cairde Slán**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey guys and gals, I'm back again(Sorry if that phrase it getting repetitive). I just wanted to give y'all a heads up, I've been kinda slacking on my writing recently since all of the crap that comes along with moving has been holding me up. I have no idea when I'll post the next chapter, hopefully sometime next week if I can.**

My eyes opened slowly as I felt my consciousness return to me. I felt myself laying on something soft and I cracked open my eyes, seeing nothing but a blurry landscape all around me. I heard a voice calling my name, but it was extremely muffled and left me confused. One of the blurs moved closer to my face and something landed on both of my shoulders, gently lifting me up to a sitting position.

"...Aa-...A-ron...Aaron." All of my senses started getting clearer and I was able to see the person clearly after a few minutes. "Aaron, you alright buddy?"

I stared at Caleb before a sigh escaped my muzzle and I fell forward, resting my head on his shoulder. He offered me a few words of comfort and moved to hug me to him, his hand scratching me behind my ear. I smiled from his caring touch and nuzzled his shoulder in appreciation.

"What happened to you bud?" He asked me. I waited before offering him a response, opening my eyes to scan the room. There was Korrina, Ashley, Axel, and all of the Pokémon standing around the bed I found myself in. Lucario was nowhere to be found so I assumed I was safe for now.

' _Keep this between us, think your words and I'll hear them.'_ I told him, receiving a confused look from him.

' _Like this?'_ I heard him say through our connection. I nodded and pulled away from him, glancing around the room one last time for any signs of the crazy Aura Pokémon.

' _Yes...I don't want Korrina or the others to hear this.'_

' _Why?'_ I shot a look at everyone in the room, Korrina in particular, before returning my gaze to him.

' _Because I am like this due to Korrina's Lucario'_ I answered, backing away slightly when I felt pure rage coming off of him.

"What!" He shouted, his teeth clenched in anger. I slapped a paw over his mouth and fixed him with a stern gaze, forcing him to calm himself before he let something slip.

' _Quiet, we don't need Korrina finding out about this!'_ I told him and released his mouth after he nodded in understanding.

' _Well why did she do this to you?'_ I sighed and rested my head back on the pillow.

' _She saw me as a suitable mate, and attempted to force me to comply with her demands.'_ I told him, shivering at the mere thought off that little discussion. She had been extremely adamant on making me her mate, even going as far as attacking me so I would submit to her.

' _So your saying that she attacked you because you refused to be her mate?'_

' _Yes...if Lilly hadn't gotten there when she did, there's no telling how that would have ended for me.'_ I really was thankful for my mate at that moment, but I had to wonder how she knew I was up there in the first place.

' _Then it's a good thing that Lucario used Metal Sound. We heard it all the way down here and went to investigate, Lilly seemed to know what was going on though so she booked it up the tower, leaving us in the dust.'_ He revealed to me, making me chuckle lightly. That's my mate, always rushing off to investigate anything that peaks her curiosity.

' _Where is she?'_ I asked him, referring to the fox in question. He smiled and turned around waving in a come here motion. I felt the familiar, peaceful aura of my mate appear next to me as she sat down beside me and took my paw into hers. This aura was what I should have been searching for when Lucario found me, but I got careless and let my guard down for a moment, and I paid the price for it.

At least now I knew why Mew had given me that TM. Without Bone Rush, I might not have been able to hold her off for as long as I had. The cat sure was annoying, but she could be extremely helpful when she wanted to be.

"How you feeling hon?" She asked me softly. I smiled back at her and squeezed her paw lightly.

"Much better now that you're here with me." I answered, receiving a giggle and a light peck on my muzzle before the fox laid her head on my chest, her arms wrapped around me protectively...and possessively. She felt threatened, I could feel it, she didn't want anyone else she didn't trust even coming within a few feet of me. At least that's the feel I was getting from her.

I decided to try and put her mind at ease and wrapped an arm around her waist, hugging her close to me. Her response was to snuggle further into my fur, her muzzle now buried in my neck. I had to suppress a laugh from the tickling sensation her warm breath left on my neck. I did my best to distract myself by returning to the conversation with Caleb.

' _Now...where is she?'_ I demanded, my voice suddenly dead serious. He knew who I was talking about and copied my expression.

' _Out by the beach, where you usually hang out around dusk.'_ No doubt she was waiting for me. There was no telling what would happen if she got me alone again, if round one was any indication of her abilities. I couldn't defeat her on my own, no way for me to think that fast and form some kind of strategy to beat her. She wouldn't attempt anything around any of the humans, knowing full and well that it would not end in her favor. She would have to try and get me alone before she made another move.

That means I couldn't be alone for the remainder of my time here...ain't that just great. I enjoyed my occasional moment of solitude, but that seems to have been robbed from me by an obsessive Lucario. In the end, I couldn't find any way around it, I had to stick close to Caleb from now on. That is if Lily didn't murder the canine before the gym battle even started.

I was apparently living almost every guys dream of having two girls fighting over me...I didn't see why they would want to have that happen to them though. I'll be lucky if someone doesn't end up missing during the next few days.

'Why am I thinking about this?' I questioned myself before shaking off the thoughts and nudging Lilly off of me. I was starting to feel a little claustrophobic in this room with everyone around me.

"I have to get some air" I said, not waiting around for a response before I was already heading out the door. The fresh air felt much better than the stuffy atmosphere of the room and I inhaled a deep whiff of the salty sea air. I didn't stray far from the building, fearful that Lucario would find and isolate me somehow. The others seemed to fear the same since I felt a few pairs of eyes watching me closely. They knew I needed a few minutes to clear my head before I went insane, so they watched and waited for about a good ten minutes before Caleb walked out the door with Yuki right beside him.

"Feels good to be out of that room, don't it?" Caleb said after stepping up beside me, looking straight to the sea before him. I nodded, not bothering with a verbal response, before I felt something brush up against my side. I glanced over at the Absol, actually able to meet her gaze without having to look up at her.

"Hello Aaron,...how are you feeling?" She asked, her ruby eyes reflecting concern and worry. I shrugged and turned back to the ocean, not really knowing how to answer that question right now. I felt angry, scared, annoyed, my emotions were everywhere at the moment.

"I don't know anymore Yuki...all I know is that I am not alright." I admitted to her, making her nuzzle my cheek and rub my back with her side. She had practically curled herself around me already from her standing position, our new even heights allowing her to do this without crouching down. I nuzzled her back, finding her comforting touch put me at ease. Everyone around me has been very affectionate and touchy, constantly nuzzling and petting me when I was feeling down. It felt good knowing I had friends that looked out for me during times like these.

"So, where's Lilly, thought she wouldn't leave my side after all the crap that's happened."

"She stayed with the others to avoid so much as setting sight on the Lucario that attacked you." She answered. I nodded and leaned back on her, my legs still feeling slightly sore from the battle last night. She easily supported my weight and gently guided me onto the ground to give my body a break. "You are still weak, I recommend going back inside to rest."

I shook my head at her offer, not wanting to go back into that room right now. I was afraid that my emotions would start affecting the others or my control would slip and theirs would start to affect me. The emotions of worry and rage, the latter mostly coming from Lilly, negatively affected me and put stress on my system. I needed to relax to rest, and I needed rest to recover.

"I don't want to be near everyone right now, I wanted to be alone...but I can't do that since Lucario is still trying to claim me." I sighed and leaned my head on her back so I could stare up at the bright and sunny sky. Yuki tried to comfort me with her nuzzling...but it was useless, I was screwed. I felt Caleb's hand rest on my head and joined Yuki in her attempts to calm me and help me relax, but even their combined efforts were useless.

"Its ok buddy, we won't let her get you. Korrina says that the gym will be reopen tomorrow, that means we can go ahead and get that gym badge and get you away from that Lucario." He assured me and wrapped an arm around me, pulling me close to him. I actually felt a little better after hearing those words. My trainer knew how much I hated being around her, and he was willing to give up his shot with Korrina so he could help me out. That showed just how good of a person he was and reminded me just how much he cares for his team. I felt a stray tear escape my eye after seeing just how much everyone cared for me. I didn't really know of any times I had felt cared for, those memories lost in the oblivion that is my mind, so this really struck my heart. Caleb's hand came to my cheek and swept the tear away, offering me a kind smile while his other hand continued rubbing my head softly.

' _...Thank you...both of you...'_ Was all I was able to say before I suddenly cringed and held a paw over my gut, the same spot I had taken that Power-Up Punch. I knew I wasn't fully healed from that battle, this served to prove that even further.

"Buddy, you ok?!" I felt myself being laid back onto Yuki while my trainer gently removed my paw so he could get a better look at my injury. His touch only served to worsen the pain and I had to fight every instinct I had to not lash out at him, I could not however stop the whine that escaped my muzzle. "Sorry bud, I gotta check it out to help." He told me with a sympathetic head pat, waiting for a response from me before proceeding further in his examination. Reluctantly, I gave him the go ahead and watched him as he brushed the fur back, revealing a nasty bruise on my abdomen. Seemed she had even hit me harder than I thought she did, no move ever actually leaving that much of a mark before.

"Dang, she got you good...maybe you should sit out the battle tomorrow and let that heal." He suggested. I narrowed my eyes and pulled his hand away from my injury, getting his full attention.

' _Not gonna happen, I have to get back at that bitch for attacking me.'_ I told him firmly. He bit his cheek, glancing at my injury before returning his eyes back to mine.

"But...you injury-"

' _Irrelevant, I want to make her pay.'_ I said again, with a small growl to show that I wasn't going back on my decision. I could see the desire to protest in his eyes, but he held them back to avoid saying something he might regret. Few things were more terrifying than a Lucario that didn't get their way, trust me on that one.

"…Alright buddy...you can battle," He conceded before fixing me with a stern glare of his own, "But if I feel like its too much, I will not hesitate to pull you out." He stated firmly, getting a small smile and chuckle out of me.

' _You might want to rephrase that sentence.'_ I laughed, making him look at me questioningly before a look of realization came over his features, only for it to be instantly be replaced with a mix of amusement and disgust.

"Really bro" He laughed and gave me a punch on my shoulder. I smirked and shrugged innocently, pretending I said nothing wrong. That's when I felt Yuki's tail come up from behind and smack me in the head. I rubbed my paw over the impact site while I looked back at her with a pout. It seemed she guessed what I was thinking and decided to offer up her own form of discipline for having such a dirty mind.

"What did I say?" I asked her, my frown turning into a cheeky smile. She narrowed her eyes and smacked me again, this one actually hurting a little. I guessed she wasn't much for my jokes right now, especially considering how most of them were of the adult level sense of humor.

"Ok, enough joking around you two, its late and you all need your rest, especially you Aaron. You wanted to battle tomorrow, so off to bed with you." He ordered and forcibly dragged me up to the barracks where everyone slept. Yuki followed close behind, staring at me humorously while she watched the once proud Lucario being dragged off to bed by a human.

' _But Mooooooommm'_ I whined, receiving a groan from my trainer, giving me one last laugh before I was dragged through the barracks door and thrown onto the soft mattress.

"No buts mister, sleep,now!" He ordered in a fake serious voice before disappearing from the room so he could go and do whatever it is he does when I'm not around him. I stared at the door before me sore body decided to call the shots and pulled me away from my consciousness and into the realm of sleep.

 **Meanwhile**

"Target is sighted, permission to capture?" A woman's voice asked into her walkie-talkie, receiving nothing but static before a gravely, masculine voice came through from the other side.

" _Negative, maintain overwatch and_ _wait for the go ahead. We can't mess this up or the boss would have our heads."_ The man replied, his order making the woman tisk in disapproval.

"Understood, will continue surveillance until the order is given." She said and stashed the radio in her pocket. "Don't worry big boy, you'll be all ours real soon.

 **Another cliffhanger, ain't I just the worst? Hope y'all enjoyed and hope to see you again real soon.**

 **O wakare no tomodachi**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey guys, I'm back again, and its chapter 24 of my little creation, you know what that means? Means we finally get to see the gym battle between Korrina and Caleb. It's kind of short now that I think about it, but at this point I really don't care, its good enough in my opinion and I hope it is in yours.**

 **I know you can't really tell from my writing, but imagine me saying this to you in a really tired voice, cause that's what I am. I've had so much stress on my system with trying to change my mailing address on effing everything, trying to get all of my college resumes in order, and dealing with a very unproductive job hunt. In other words, I am completely burnt out, and I'm up at midnight writing this cause I'm just laying here in my bed, wide awake. Usually I would do some more writing during this time, but I don't really trust in my writing abilities at the moment. So I decided I'm taking a small brake from my writing to try and recuperate and get the stress out. I ain't giving up on this thing, trust me, but I probably won't be posting another chapter for awhile, how long I have no clue, could be a few weeks to a few days, I really don't know. Hopefully this will be enough to tide you over for awhile so none of y'all tear my head off...actually the that doesn't sound too bad, would get rid of the migraine.**

 **Now I have a question for any readers who are either attending college or just sent in their admission forms. Did y'all have to pay to send them, cause I did. As if the colleges didn't bleed you dry of your money already. Their basically making you pay them to judge you, like what the hell.**

 **...Sorry about that, had to get that off my chest. Gotta tell you, I definitely feel better now. Just ranting and fuming over the internet instead of at someone or something, or at the air. This way isn't mean or weird, what it is, I don't got an answer.**

 **Anywho, here you go, read on my beloved readers while I go put a few bullets in my computer while it holds open the college websites admission section.**

"Again!" Caleb yelled, prompting me to form another Bone Rush and swing it around at the practice dummy he had created using whatever junk he could find. The resulting impact sent the dummy's head flying off and into the ocean, which happened to be a good 60 feet away. I spun the bone around before slamming it into the ground, making it disappear, and looking back at my trainer. He nodded in approval and stepped up beside me to place a hand on my shoulder.

"Nice job buddy." he said with a smile while he ruffled my head fur. After those words left his lips, I fell to one knee in exhaustion. We had found this little hidden training area sometime during my morning walk, which I now had to have company to go on, and had been training there for the better half of three hours. Turns out, I truly was getting rusty, and the fact that I was still a little sore didn't help. I needed to be in top condition for the battle against Korrina later in her newly repaired battlefield.

' _Thanks...how have the others been doing?'_ I asked , curious about the teams over all condition. He flicked his head to the side and I looked over in that direction to see a Braixen laughing her ass off while the Kirlia before her ran around...lit up like the fourth of July. I tilted my head while I watched the show.

' _Should we...do something?'_ I asked worriedly, concerned for Lee's overall health.

"He'll put himself out." He shrugged and continued to watch the emotion Pokémon roll around on the ground, making the flames recede until the only thing left was a charred Lee. "See, problem solved."

I nodded and went to go check on him to make sure he wasn't...you know...dead. I prodded his side with a paw, making him groan in pain. Lilly soon came up beside me to check on her work, a feeling of satisfaction coming from her form.

"What did he do this time?" I asked.

"He stole my brush, and my branch this morning." She replied angrily, clutching said branch closely to her chest.

That definitely wasn't a smart decision on his part. You never mess with the fox's stick unless you just wanted to die. Braixen are extremely protective of their branches since it's the main source of all of their firepower, literally, and will kill you if you so much as look at it funny. She even threatened me one time when I accidentally grabbed it from her tail, but she let it go since the friction from her tail lit the thing ablaze and set me on fire.

"I see...least he ain't dead." I sighed, hearing her snap her fingers. The chuckle escaped my muzzle before I even knew it was there. This made her very happy, she loved it when I laughed at her jokes, it made her feel good.

"I'll try harder next time." She joked with a small giggle afterwards. I shook my head at her words before gently picking up the Psychic/Fairy type and taking him over to Caleb.

"She really did a number on him, didn't she" he said while he looked over the Pokémon with a caring gaze. The Kirlia was a dick sometimes, but that doesn't mean we like to see him hurt.

' _What do we do? We can't get to the Pokémon center during high tide.'_ He waved off my concern and dug around in his bag for a second, pulling out Lee's Pokéball and returning him.

"That won't be a problem, I have all the supplies I need to get him back into fighting shape. He'll be back on his feet in about an hour." I felt a little better after hearing his answer and let him go and heal my teammate while I went back to training. I noticed that I was now totally alone, Lilly most likely going off with Caleb. I instantly felt on edge and listened for even the slightest disturbance. I had to force myself to calm down and relax, there was no way Lucario knew where I was. I had to stop my paranoia from getting the best of me and distracting me from my training.

"Daddy!" I heard the shout of my baby girl and darted my head back to see Kaen running towards me. I grinned and kneeled down so I was closer to her level before catching her in my arms and cradling her to my chest.

"Hey there sweetie, what are you doing here?" I asked her sweetly while I watched her wiggle around in my arms before settling down and staring up at me adoringly.

"Mr. Caleb asked me to keep you company" she answered and broke free from my hold before running circles around me. "Can we play now, can we, can we?"

I laughed from the scene and gave her a nod, watching her eyes brighten as she ran away from me, laughing as I chased her. I never understood how a child always had so much energy, but this one was a different case all her own. We played for hours, at least that's what it felt like, and she hadn't even calmed a little. I was starting to have a hard time keeping up and I had to stop and catch my breath a few times. I was glad Caleb came back when he did, I couldn't play anymore.

"Think I understand how Mom feels now" He laughed while he helped me up from the ground after I had collapsed from exhaustion. I groaned when my aching legs suddenly had to go back to supporting me and I had to lean heavily on Caleb to keep myself up. He chuckled and took a small bottle from his pocket, popping open the cap and handing it to me.

"Drink this, you'll feel better." I didn't question him and gulped down the contents of the container. It tasted like just plain water, but whatever it was it was like an instant pick-me-up. I didn't feel tired, sore, or anything other than refreshed.

' _Whoa...what is this?'_ I questioned, looking on the bottle for any labels.

"Called an Elixir, Dad used to manage a company that produced them, we had a lot on hand as a result and he hooked me up with a bunch of them." He answered and returned Kaen to her Pokéball and gestured for me to follow him. "Come on, we have a gym battle to win." I grinned when he said this, punching a fist to my paw confidently. He smirked at my enthusiasm and confidence and scratched my head.

It didn't take long for us to reach the entrance to the tower, and after a short walk past that giant mega-evolved Lucario statue, we were at the battlefield. I actually felt pretty nervous about the battle, anxious to see how things would turn out. Korrina was no where to be found and I sat down next to Caleb with my legs crossed, waiting patently for the gym leader to show up.

"Well, well, look's like the times finally come." I heard Korrina say as she appeared from seemingly no where and land on her side of the field after she did her little performance on the railings around the gym with her Rollerblades **(Just watch the episode of the anime this battle is in, you'll see what I'm talking about)** could feel Caleb tense up at the sight of her, making me crack an eye to look up at him.

' _Relax Caleb'_ I reminded him and focused my gaze at the gym leader. I could feel the confident aura she had as she smirked over at us.

"You ready for me Caleb?" she taunted, making my trainer clutch one of the balls on his belt.

"More than ready, try not to disappoint me and my team." He shot back, earning a laugh from her. During this little exchange, I noticed Ashley coming out onto the field from the corner of my eye. This confused me since this was a gym battle, not a regular fight, so why was she reffing. Caleb caught my confusion and explained that, since Korrina's grandpa wasn't here, she had no one to be referee. Why she didn't hire someone to do it, I didn't know, but I just let it go.

"ALRIGHT, THE BATTLE BETWEEN KORRINA, THE SHALOUR CITY GYM LEADER, AND CALEB, THE CHALLENGER, SHALL NOW BEGIN!" she yelled from the referee's spot on the field.

"I've been waiting a long time to hear those words." Caleb said and pulled a ball from his belt while Korrina did the same.

"So have I, let's make this a battle to remember." She said back and lobbed a ball onto the field, releasing her first Pokémon, a Mienfoo. I tilted my head and looked up at the stands, seeing Axel sitting up there with Sensei right beside him.

' _Looks like were fighting Sensei's twin, let's see which of them is the evil one.'_ I joked, getting a chuckle from Caleb.

"Your up Lilly!" he said and threw the Pokéball out onto the field, releasing the Braixen onto the field. She faced the opponent with a smirk and bowed slightly with her branch behind her back, already lit up.

' _God luck sweetheart'_ I sent to her, earning a nod from her as she prepared her battle stance.

"READY...OK...BATTLE BEGIN!' Ashley yelled, making both trainers, and their Pokémon, tense up on preparation for the battle.

"First moves yours Caleb." Korrina offered with a hand out, a confident smirk on her lips. My trainer nodded and controlled his breathing before uttering his command.

"Ok Lilly, start things off with Flamethrower!" he commanded and Lilly twirled her stick around before releasing a high powered jet of flames towards her opponent.

"Dodge it, then use Swift!" the Mienfoo dodged it easily by jumping into the air, then it formed dozens of stars all around it before releasing them towards Lilly.

"Flamethrower again!" the two attacks collided, canceling out both moves and casting a cloud of dirt and smoke across the field.

"Why is there always a cloud?" I wondered. It seems like every battle has to have some kind of cloud around it. This actually worked in our favor though. We were accustomed to these things so Lilly had no trouble navigating through the dust, letting her deliver a surprise scratch on her opponent. The attack sent the smaller Pokémon flying out of the cloud and back towards it's trainer.

"Psyshock!" A beam of purplish light suddenly shot out from the dust cloud and connect with the Mienfoo. It was unable to dodge the sudden attack and was forced to bear the brunt it, only able to cross its arms in a guard before it went skidding back from the force of the super effective move.

"Mienfoo!" Korrina yelled in shock and worry, concerned for her Pokémon. Mienfoo got back up to its feet and shook the dust from its fur, acting like the attack didn't really do anything. I could see signs of injury already, its legs wobbling as it struggled to keep itself upright. I could tell that Lilly definitely wasn't holding back, the power behind her moves increased drastically ever since she saw Lucario. The anger seemed to power her up to an almost scary level, so I wouldn't really be all that surprised if she took out the gym on her own.

"Nice job Lilly!" Caleb congratulated, earning a smile from the fox, before she looked back at her weakened opponent.

"Mienfoo, you ok?" Mienfoo nodded, to proud to realize it had no chance against the Braixen. "Alright then, use Swift again!"

Mienfoo obeyed and sent starts towards Lilly once again, only for the same results to occur as last time. Except this time, Korrina caught us completely off guard. Despite our experience with low visibility, there was no way Lilly could have seen Mienfoo drop onto her, delivering a powerful High Jump Kick and planting her into the ground.

"Lilly!" Caleb yelled before instantly shutting his mouth after seeing the Mienfoo flying off of his starter after she delivered a Mystical Fire attack to her opponent.

'When did she learn that?' I wondered as I watched the pretty much one-sided battle with wavering interest until the battle ended after another Flamethrower hit Minfoo, knocking it out.

"..." Korrina was struck speechless after seeing her Pokémon knocked out so quickly. I didn't really blame her for her silence, her probably never losing a battle so quickly. Caleb carried a much different tone as he looked on at his starter proudly.

I saw the results coming before the battle even started since an irked Lilly was a dangerous Lilly.

"Well...ok then..." Korrina responded dumbly, still shell shocked from the speed of her loss. She withdrew her Pokémon and congratulated it, I guessed, and reached behind her back for a another.

"Great job Lilly, return" Caleb said and beamed Lilly back into her ball and pulled out Lee's ball from his belt. Both trainers threw out their next Pokémon simultaneously and what appeared was a Kirlia, and across from him was a Machoke. I almost laughed at the size difference between the two, and it seemed the Machoke had a hard time stopping himself from doing the same.

'He thinks his size makes him more powerful, that will be his undoing.' I thought. It seems the fighting type forgot that he was at a serious disadvantage, Lee being a Physic/Fairy type giving him a distinct advantage against it. I predict that this battle will end much the same as the last one.

"Alright Machoke, Focus Blast!" Korinna commanded as the fighting Pokémon reared its hands back and released a ball of pure energy at Lee. Lee dodged by doing the little twirl that his species is famous for and letting the attack sail right by him and impact the ground, leaving a crater from the impact.

"Dazzling Gleam!" What have they been doing while I was out. I didn't know they even knew any of these moves. That thought quickly fled from my mind as a bright light emanated from Lee, making me shield my eyes until the move was finished. I'm not sure how that move was supposed to damage you, but it definitely did the trick. The Machoke looked like it broke a sweat after enduring that move, but it still stood tall. Its defense must have been pretty high if it could have stood up to a super effective move like that.

"Enough with the fancy light show, Machoke, get in close and use Focus Punch!"

"Stop it with Physic!" The charging Pokémon suddenly stopped in its tracks as it was lifted into the air, but it still looked quite confident.

"Focus Blast!" Lee was so focused on keeping the Machoke in the air that he gave it plenty of maneuverability and allowed it to rear its hand back and release another ball of energy at the Kirlia. Lee may have been resistant to fighting type attacks, but considering how that was one of that the strongest fighting type moves out there, it still did plenty of damage.

The hit sent the Kirlia flying back, causing the Physic to break and releasing Machoke. Lee took a minute to get back up, and when he did, it was on very shaky legs. He wasn't used to being hit by moves like that, so his defense wasn't all that great, but he was a trooper as he pushed through the pain and hit Machoke with another Dazzling Gleam.

"Plow though it and use Focus Punch!" Again, it proved just how tough it was as it fought past the attack to deliver a devastating punch right at the smaller Pokémon, planting him into the dirt and knocking him out instantly.

It would seem my prediction was incorrect, and Caleb seems to have agreed as he withdrew Lee with a somber expression, giving the Emotion Pokémon a few words of comfort before reaching down for Lilly's ball again.

' _Wouldn't you rather have me fight?'_ I asked him, receiving a head shake.

"You wanted to battle Lucario, you need to be at your best, beside you have a type disadvantage." He explained and I nodded in understanding. He tossed Lilly back out and Korinna immediately went on the offensive, Machoke charging forward with a Brick Break at the ready.

"Stop it with Psyshock!" The power behind Lilly's attacks were much greater, so it was no surprise that Machoke was unable to follow through with its attack, getting sent skidding back from the hit. This went on for quite a while, Machoke trying its hardest to close in while Lilly beat him back every time. I'm actually quite amazed at the things resilience, being able to take attack after attack and still stay standing was quite commendable. In the end though, it really didn't stand much of a chance and found itself knocked out after several more hits.

"I have to say, its been a while since I've fought someone as great at battling as you, you were able to take out two of my team pretty darn quickly." Korrina told him with a excited grin.

She was definitely enjoying herself, despite having lost two of her Pokémon without really causing much of a dent in ours. I had a feeling that it would come down to this battle though. Lee was out cold in his ball and Lilly put too much of a strain on her body with all of the constant attacks, meaning she was probably too tired to battle.

"Its not really all me, something happened to Lilly and looks like it made her that much more powerful." He replied, kind of already knowing what made her so strong, but choosing not to mention it. Korrina smirked and grabbed her last Pokéball, her trump card.

"Well then, we'll have to see how you stand up to this, come on out Lucario!" she tossed the ball high into the air, releasing Lucario from her ball. She instantly locked eyes with me and gave me a creepy smile, you know, one of those smiles that just sends a chill down your spine before making you go and hide in the corner...yeah, that smile.

"Lilly return." He said before looking down at me. He gave me a nod and I leaped to my feet and jumped into then air, landing on the field after doing a few flips in the air. I wanted to be a bit fancy with my entrance, and it seems that it was well received. I sensed pride coming from my trainer after the little stunt, giving me all the more confidence that I would win.

"Ready for round two sweetheart!" I smirked and got down into my fighting stance. She just grinned and copied me.

"Indeed I am...by the way, do you know about the Lucario courting ritual?" she asked, confusing me. Why would she bring that up now in the middle of a battle.

"No, why do you ask?" the smile from before returned as she looked up at me with a fire in her eyes.

"When a female Lucario sees a male that she likes, they battle...if the male wins, we leave them alone...but if the female wins..." she stopped there and crouched down in a stance that looked like she was ready to pounce. "The male must become the females mate...for life."

Ok, now I was freaking terrified. I tried finding any indication that she was lying, but her words were honest and true. If she beat me, then I had to stay here with her...forever. I'm sure neither Caleb, Korrina, or Lilly would let her keep me here, but she would never leave me be if I lost.

That gave me all the more reason to win this fight. I wasn't sure why she would tell me this, especially since I would fight harder with this knowledge in mind. Maybe she wanted a harder challenge, to truly battle with me giving it my all.

"That just means I have to win then." I said, receiving a melodious giggle from the Aura Pokémon.

"Then let us proceed, my mate." She purred the last part, making me gulp.

' _Caleb, I got a lot riding on this battle, don't you let me down.'_ I said to my trainer without taking my eyes off of Lucario.

"Got it buddy...let's start it off with a Blaze Kick!" I obeyed and leaped into the air, dropping back down onto the waiting Lucario with a blazing axe kick.

"Use Bone Rush to block it!" sure enough, my kick was blocked by her bone staff and I was knocked back after she rounded the attack tom strike me in the chest, knocking the breath from my lungs. I recovered quickly and formed my own bone staff , twirling it around in front of me before holding it behind my back.

"Bring it" I growled in challenge, prompting her to move on her own and attack me with her staff. I blocked the hit easily and split the staff in two, bringing both of the batons onto her sides and finishing with a hard Force Palm to the gut. She sailed back, but caught herself mid air and charge at me with a Power-Up Punch.

"Not this time!" I yelled and used Quick Attack to dodge to the side. At least I thought it was quick attack. The speed was way higher than it ever was before, prompting me to believe that it had been replaced with Extreme Speed. She ended up punching the dirt and giving me an opportunity to slam another Force Palm into her side, bringing her to her knees.

"Lucario!" Korrina yelled after seeing her partner take the hit. Lucario growled defiantly and slammed a Power-Up Punch to my stomach, in the same spot as last time. The hit staggered me, giving Lucario time to greaten the distance between us as she moved closer to her trainer.

"Aaron, you alright bud?" I nodded to Caleb and narrowed my eyes at Lucario. This was going a lot better than it did last time, but I had the feeling that this was about to change.

"It seems like you want a repeat of the last battle, let's keep that from happening." Korrina said and moved her gloved hand in front of her, revealing her keystone.

'Uh-oh' I thought as my throat ran dry when I realized what she was doing.

"Lucario, lend me your power, and let our hearts become one!" she yelled while waving her arm around, causing her keystone and the Lucarionite on Lucario's wrist to glow an beautiful white light. "Now, mega-evolve!"

I was forced to watch the tendrils of light form between the megastone and keystone, causing Lucario to begin to change. Her body was enveloped in a dark red glow as her aura sensors grew longer and her form begin to grow larger. The power I felt from her now was staggering, almost to the point where the aura began to overwhelm me. I had to shut off my aura sense to avoid suffocating from the sheer amount she was throwing off.

When it was all over, she stood tall as she looked at me, her eyes filled to the brim with confidence. I clenched my teeth and prepared my stance as I glared at her.

"So that's mega-evolution" Caleb muttered before he copied my actions as he regarded the mega-Lucario with worried eyes. I still felt that coincidence from before coming from him after I reactivated my aura sense, but it was severely wavering. He had lost confidence in my ability and I had to keep him from doing so.

' _Don't ever doubt my power Caleb.'_ I growled and glanced back at him. He shook his head and steeled his nerves before offering me a nod and concentrating on the battle.

"Right, sorry buddy." He apologized before quickly ordering me to use Bone Rush to counter the same move as Lucario suddenly dropped on me from out of nowhere. The force of the impact almost brought me to my knees, and the resulting explosion sent me skidding backwards.

"So much power." I muttered, amazed at the boost in attack she was given.

"Just give up now my mate, you have no chance of winning." She said confidently. I growled and charged forward with Extreme Speed. Lucario dodged it effortlessly and sent me flying with a Power-Up Punch to the side of my head. I got to my feet, struggling a little from a mix of pain and exhaustion.

Things weren't looking good, I knew that, but I can't give up. She has to have a weakness of some kind, I just have to find it.

"Aura Sphere!" my head shot up when I heard this. I saw Lucario forming a ball of pure aura energy before releasing it in my direction. I couldn't dodge it, there was no way I would be able to move in time, that's when an idea came to mind.

I quickly formed a Bone Rush and reared it back, waiting for the sphere to close in, before swinging it like a baseball bat. This resulted in the attack sailing back towards its sender, catching her by surprise and making her take the force of her own move. This gave me the chance to close in with Extreme Speed and hit her with an onslaught of attacks using Bone Rush. This resulted in her taking serious damage from the super effective ground type move, then take another hit from my Force Palm.

"Keep up the pressure, use Blaze Kick!" I did as commanded and hit her with a roundhouse kick that made her knees buckle. I got behind her and reared my paw back, delivering a Force Palm to her head, executioner style.

She didn't get knocked out though, no she had a lot more resilience than that. She suddenly grabbed me by my leg and tripped me up, throwing me clear across the field after returning to her feet.

"Impressive...you are...quite skilled...it would seem…" she said between breaths while she held a paw on her arm, one of the areas I hit her during the Bone Rush attack.

"Yeah...well I...have a lot riding...on this..." I replied and rammed into her with Extreme Speed. She took the hit, much to my surprise, then she surprised me again when her arms suddenly enveloped me in a hug from behind. My eyes shot open and I started to struggle in her arms.

"Indeed you do, but I refuse to lose you my love." She whispered into my ear, gently nibbling on the tip. Now I was starting to panic and my struggling intensified. I finally just held my paw over her leg, a Force Palm already charged. Once the attack made contact, it had only a second delay until exploding, sending us apart as we flew to opposite sides of the field.

I landed hard and skidded across the field, coming to a stop at my trainers feet. I heard him say my name worriedly as he fell to his knees beside me, gently picking me up off the dirt and allowing me to see that Lucario was in the same state as I, but she was no longer mega-evolved. I remembered that Pokémon only return to their original form after either being knocked out, or reaching the end of their power limit.

"Lucario, are you alright?" I overheard Korrina say as she held up her partner. Lucario didn't respond, she was out cold.

I had won...I fought against a mega-evolved Pokémon...and won. My pride shot up significantly as a small smile graced my features and I looked up at Caleb, seeing him looking back proudly.

' _We won Caleb...we beat her.'_ I said weakly, receiving a nod and a hug from my trainer.

"Yeah we did Aaron...we beat her." He told me. I couldn't hold back the small chuckle that escaped my muzzle, I beat her even though she was a mega.

"Congratulation you two." Korrina said as she approached us after returning her partner to her Pokéball. Caleb turned his attention to her after he helped me up to my feet. I had to lean on his side to avoid collapsing, but he didn't seem to mind. "I knew that he was strong, you raised him well."

The compliment helped boost my ego even more as I offered her a smile. She reached behind her and pulled a small little badge from wherever she keeps stuff in that skirt of hers, and offered it to Caleb.

"Caleb, I am honored to have met a trainer as strong as you, that cares for their Pokémon and fights with them instead of having them fight for them. To prove just how strong you are, I would like to award you the Rumble Badge." She placed the badge in my trainers awaiting palm and took the hand in both of hers.

' _Seriously you two, just go ahead and get a room.'_ I sighed, earning a blush from both of them. Korrina released his hand reluctantly and offered him a smile before bidding us farewell and watching us leave the gym. Axel and Ashley met us outside of the field and proceeded on congratulating us for the hard won battle.

What happened next, I have no clue since I had asked Caleb to return me to my Pokéball, not wanting to burden him with my weight any longer. When I realized where I was in my ball, I immediately hopped into the nearest tree and settled down on a sturdy branch, deciding to rest my mind after everything that's happened.

 **Meanwhile**

"Yes sir, proceeding as planned." Said a woman before she cut off her radio and turned to her followers. "Ok people, we just got the go ahead, remember, this is a standard snatch-n'-grab so don't screw it up. Now come on, lets make the boss proud." She commanded and left out the door, everyone following close behind.

 **Yeah, I leave y'all, for an unspecified amount of time, on a cliffhanger. I'm such a dick aren't I.**

 **Bty, if I hear one person go on about how their ain't no clearing on the island that holds the Tower of Mastery where they were at the beginning, or how their was no way anyone could best a mega-Lucario that quickly, they will join my computer in hell...JK, but please don't do it, your only wasting your breath cause i ain't changing it anytime soon(Sorry if that sounds like I'm being an ass, a tired Bigshot, is a bitchy Bigshot).**

 **Now I want to hear whatever y'all have to say, who knows, maybe it will motivate me to get back into my writing mood. Don't be afraid to be honest with me, if you think it sucked, tell me, but please leave a reason behind you opinion so I know how to improve. But don't any of you dare flame me or I'** **ll have Aaron hunt you down...he already knows where you live.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Well, I found the time to finally get back to writing again after my schedule got a bit less sporadic. I'm sorry about not updating this in so long, I hope all of you understand that I really am trying here, I just have a lot to deal with right now. On the plus side, this is my longest chapter so far so I hope it can tide y'all over until I finish the next one.**

 **So here you are, chapter 25, up and running. Hope you all enjoy.**

"This is so degrading" I muttered after feeling Yuki lick the back of my head for what felt like the millionth time. Seems evolution did very little to deter her from treating me like a little pup. So here I sat, in the middle of a small clearing with Kaen snoozing in my lap while I was groomed by the overbearing Absol.

"Stop with all of your complaining, it is going to happen whether you like it or not, I will not allow you to stay dirty after that battle." She told me before going back to her grooming.

' _Caleb, one word, and I will kill you.'_ I threatened when I saw that look in his eye. He just smirked at me before going back to pitching up his tent.

"So Caleb, how do you feel about the next gym battle?" Ashley asked referring to the gym in Coumarine City, our next destination. He shrugged in response and looked back at all of us. His eyes hung around Lilly for a minute before locking onto the Vulpix in my lap.

' _Don't even think about it.'_ I growled, catching where his eyes were wandering.

"But Aaron, she's a fire type, that gives us an advantage."

' _You are not using my little girl in any battle, not yet, she only has two tails for God's sake!'_ I shot back, pointing to her newly split tails. She wasn't old enough for any battle, not until she grew all six of her tails. Whenever that day comes, I will allow her to battle if she is strong enough. Caleb didn't look at all happy with my decision, but knew better than to start an argument with me, he knew he couldn't win.

"Fine, but she has to battle sooner or later, how else will she grow stronger?"

"I know, but not yet." I looked down at the little kit, gazing at her smiling face as she relaxed happily in my lap. I didn't want to see her getting hurt, but I knew she had to grow up, I couldn't shelter her forever and Pokémon usually have to grow up fast to survive. "Please just...let me think on it."

"Alright buddy." He said after offering me a small smile and a nod. I smiled back and lightly ruffled the head fur of my little kit before laying her on the ground softly.

' _I'm going for a walk.'_ I told everyone after shooing away Yuki and making my way over to the treeline.

"Do you want me to come with you?" I heard Lilly ask.

"Sorry hon, I'd prefer if you'd stay here, I need some time alone to clear my head." I told her. She looked disappointed, but understood that I needed my solitude every once in awhile.

"Be back before sundown." Caleb shouted after me when I disappeared into the woods.

"Alone at last." I said with a smile. I had been walking a pretty good while, I didn't even know how far from camp I really was. I wasn't too worried about being alone now since I no longer had a crazy Pokémon chasing me around. I was finally able to relax and enjoy nature, not have to constantly be looking over my shoulder in case of danger. All I had to concentrate on were the soothing chirps of all of the bird Pokémon, along with the steady babble of the stream, making for a very ideal environment for meditation.

'When's the last time I was able to do that?' I sighed and kept on walking until I reached a small waterfall with a lone rock laying in the middle. I grinned and quickly made my way over to it, leaping up and across the rocks until I reached my destination. I sat down in my meditation pose and closed my eyes, clearing my head of all thoughts and concentrating on my surroundings.

Why I liked this so much, I didn't know. I was not a patient person by any means, so why I would willingly just sit here and do nothing for hours on end is beyond me. It was just enjoyable for me, that's all I knew.

So I sat there for hours, simply relaxing my mind and listening to nature, that is until a sudden shout broke me from my meditative state.

"Flamethrower!" My eyes shot open and I leaped into the air, just barely avoiding the pillar of fire that struck where I just was. I landed on the side of the stream, already in a battle stance as I glared at my attacker. What I saw made my body tense up and a small growl escaped my throat.

Standing before me was a woman, wearing nothing but yellow, with a Houndoom right beside her. She was a member of team Sunburst, the people Mew had been warning me about.

"Looks like we finally meet Lucario." She said with a smirk. I narrowed my eyes and deepened my stance. The Houndoom sent me a warning growl as it crouched down, ready to pounce at me at the smallest move. "We've been looking for you for quite awhile."

' _What do you want?'_ I growled. She took on a look of surprise as a larger smile formed on her lips.

"Oh, so you know telepathy, interesting." I had a feeling I had just made a mistake by using my ability, but I had already done it so I just had to deal with the consequences later.

' _Answer the damn question!'_ I repeated. She smirked and snapped her fingers, causing a small team of grunts and their Pokémon to emerge from the trees. All of the Pokémon were either Dark or Fire types, making me tense up ever more. Seems like these guys really stole Team Flare's whole playbook, even using the same types of Pokémon.

"Sorry, but you aren't in any position to be demanding answers from us." I clenched my teeth and took a step back. The woman noticed my action and grinned cruelly, slowly making her way towards me. "Nervous? No need to be scared, we won't hurt you...just come with us and it will all be fine."

' _Can you taste the bullshit as it spews out of your mouth?'_ I barked and leaped across the river, keeping a good distance between me and them.

"Now that wasn't very nice thing to say, didn't you ever learn your manners, I mean your parents had to have taught you something." She said before smiling at me once again. "I mean, I know you lost your memory and all, but that's no excuse to be rude."

My eyes widened as my blood ran cold. They knew I had amnesia...how could they had possibly known that.

"I can tell from your expression that I'm right. You lost your memories, but you still remember a few things from your past right...like what you were before." Now she really was scaring me, how the hell did she know these things. I haven't told anyone about my past, not even my trainer, so how could she know.

' _W-what are you talking about?'_ I gulped.

"Oh come off it, the jigs already up, we know what you really are, and I gotta say that I'm intrigued."

' _Why are you so interested in me, I'm just a regular Lucario?'_ I asked, clinging to the smallest hope that she was lying. The question got an annoyed sigh from her.

"No, your not, we know what you are and the boss really wants to meet you, now are you going to come willingly or do we have to take you by force?" As she finished this sentence, every one of the Pokémon tensed up and the grunts took a step back to avoid getting hit by the crossfire.

' _Kiss my furry blue ass!'_ I barked, throwing caution to the wind as I jumped towards her with a Bone Rush in hand. Her eyes widened and she braced herself, probably thinking I was going for her. Her Houndoom seemed to think the same and leapt in front of her to shield her from me, this left him open. I had the perfect shot and I took it, ramming the club into the side of its head. The hit caused it to stagger and gave me the opportunity to follow up with an uppercut Force Palm, knocking it into the air. It hit the ground a few feet away and slowly rose to its feet.

' _Typical, all bark no bite, aren't you people supposed too be good at this'_ I mocked and rammed a Force Palm into the Weavile that tried attacking me from behind. _'Real smart by the way, bringing only one fire type to try and defeat a fighting/steel type, cause these matchups are just insulting.'_ I said after knocking out a Bisharp with a Blaze Kick to the gut. It really was just an insult to my own strength when you try and fight me with literally nothing but dark types with ice or steel as their secondary typing.

"What the hell." The woman muttered in surprise and fear as she watched her small army of Pokémon get smaller and smaller by the second, all of them falling like dominoes from my power. These people were chumps, barely giving me a challenge before they fainted. I thought Mew said these people were supposed to be difficult, but this wasn't even a challenge.

' _Seriously people, this I just sad.'_ I sighed. All of the Pokémon now laid across the ground, motionless, and I hadn't even broken a sweat. All that confidence the woman had from before was now long gone as she stepped back, fearing what I would do. _'Now answer my question, what do you want with me, and how do you know what I am.'_

She didn't answer, she just kept on staring at me until a smile returned to her lips. Her smile confused me and I was about to question her about, but quickly found myself on the ground a good distance from where I once was. I picked myself up to my hands and knees, shaking my heads before I looked over to see what had attacked me.

What I saw next made my heart catch in my throat.

"A...Blaziken." I whispered before leaping to my feet and getting back into my stance, taking a few steps back after doing so. Truth be told, I was pretty freaking scared right now. This thing had every advantage over me and knew it, if that confident look plastered on its face told me anything.

"Awww, what's wrong, scared of an actual fight?" Someone asked me condescendingly as another person emerged from behind all of the defeated grunts. This guy looked like one of the bigshots since his done-up, yellow hair stood out with a large red line going through it. He also held that confident and arrogance that all with way too much power seemed to possess.

' _Who are you?'_ I asked cautiously. I had to play this smart so there was no reason to piss the guy off and make him attack me before I'm ready. _'You one of the Lieutenants?'_

"Very good, you guessed right my furry friend, seems your quite knowledgeable for such an average Lucario." He stated and took a step up next to his Blaziken. "But your not quite just an average, everyday Lucario...are you?"

' _I still have no idea what your talking about.'_ I stubbornly replied. There was no way they could have known, how could they even begin to understand what was happening.

"Wow, you really do think we don't know." He said, as if he was reading my mind.

' _Know what dammit!'_ I growled. The man held his hands out to try and appease me, but it just pissed me off even more.

"Now, Now, no need to get mad." He said and approached me slowly. I narrowed my eyes and powered up a Force Palm, warning him not to come any closer. The message was clearly received as he stopped mid-step and crossed his arms over his chest.

' _Listen buddy, I don't know who you are or what you want with me, but you need to leave before you do something your gonna regret."_ I threatened and formed a Bone Rush with my free paw. I was about ready to hurt these people if they didn't leave me in peace.

"So testy." The man sighed and snapped his fingers, right before the Blaziken dropped down in between us. The suddenness of its appearance made me flinch as I continued my backpedaling so I could remain a respectable distance from these people.

"Come on buddy, I really don't wanna hurt you, just come quietly so I don't have to." The Blaziken said in a male voice. He sounded honest in his request, but the fact that he said it so confidently didn't help calm me down. An eye twitch was the only warning I gave before I appeared right in front of him and rammed a Force Palm into his gut, only for it to be blocked almost effortlessly.

"Oh...crap." I mutted before I felt a claw close around my throat and chuck me into the nearest tree. My back hit the tree and bent around in since I hit the tree sideways, sending an immense amount of pain through my spine. I let out a grunt after the Blaziken rammed a knee in my gut, not even letting me fall to the ground before continuing his attack. The hit knocked the breath from my lungs and he allowed me to fall to my hands and knees.

'Fuck...he's strong.' I thought before I felt pain in my chest and I coughed, splattering a little blood on the dirt. My eyes widened at the sight, did he really do that much damage that quickly.

"Sorry, I warned you, now just come on man, I really don't want to have to hurt you anymore." I clenched my teeth in anger. He got a few good shots on me, now he's way too confident in his abilities. Well its time I showed him never to underestimate this Lucario.

"I'm sorry too." I said and looked up at his confused face before sweeping his legs out from under him. I didn't have nearly as much power as the move Low Sweep, but it had the same and desired effect, knocking him from his stance and opening him up to an attack. I followed through with a Force Palm to his chest, planting him into the ground hard. I couldn't give him time to counterattack so I grabbed him by the leg and lifted him up, throwing him over my shoulder and slamming him into the ground again.

"Blaze Kick!" Blaziken's legs suddenly lit up, forcing me to release my hold on his leg and chuck him away into the sky. I formed a Bone Rush and held it tightly as I watched him drop back to the earth. His Blaze Kick was still active and I held the bone up to block it as he came down at me with an axe kick. The moves collided and canceled out his attack, but left mine untouched. I grinned and pushed him off before swinging the bone right at him, making him shout in pain as he flew back into his trainer, knocking the man onto the ground with a giant bipedal chicken draped across him.

"Ah, Blaziken, get off me!" The man yelled and pushed the bird off him so he could get back up onto his feet. He looked up only to freeze with his eyes wide as he stared at the very angry Lucario only inch's from his face. I growled menacingly and wrapped a paw around his throat, bringing him even closer to my snarling muzzle. I could practically taste the mans fear as he sat there, completely immobilized in fear of the Pokémon he had done a very good job of pissing off.

' _Your lucky I'm not like you, or I would grind every bone in your body to dust. Human beings are quite fragile and can be hurt very easily by almost any Pokémon. There are a lot of things I could do to you right now, the voices are telling me to follow through with all of them, even giving me more ideas of how I can turn you into a paste against the dirt. Trust me when I say that I would definitely do it, nothings really stopping me and I have plenty reason, but I won't hurt you I promise.'_ I gently rubbed a paw across his cheek, making him believe I was truly insane. At this point I was angry enough to let out the inner psycho to do as he pleased. _'Just remember this, if you ever mess with me, or anyone I love and hold dear, I will give you a vasectomy w_ _ith a rusty spoon. This is not a threat, its a promise, and I never break a promise. Are we clear?'_

He nodded his head, completely terrified after my little rant. He was a smart man to be so scared of me, not a single word that came out of my muzzle was a lie.

' _Good...now get the hell out of my sight, you miserable excuse of a human being, and take all your sorry little lackeys with you.'_ I tossed the man to the ground and watched as he quickly returned his Blaziken to its Pokéball and made a b-line for the trees with his grunts following close behind. I waited for them to get a good distance before I let my pain show. I was still hurting after that sudden hit from the Blaziken and I couldn't stop myself from falling to my knees and holding a paw to my stomach. The adrenaline had finally worn off and the after effects hit me like a wrecking ball. I wiped my muzzle, staining the fur on my paw crimson with blood.

'Need to get to Caleb.' I thought and used my aura sense to try and pinpoint his direction. I felt his aura in the distance and started making my way in that direction. My progress was slow as every step sent a fresh jolt of pain through me, there was no way I would make it before nightfall. I fell to my knees again, unable to move anymore from the pain. I needed help, that hit was way more powerful than I had originally believed. How I beat that Blaziken was probably just through sheer luck.

I shouted using my telepathy, hoping it would reach my trainer. It was a desperate move, but it was all I could do. I couldn't walk, I couldn't even speak without pain. So I was forced to just sit there, waiting for something to happen. I leaned back against a tree and closed my eyes, as they had grown heavy from my fatigue.

"Damn...that Blaziken was no pushover, the grunts were way to easy, but the Lieutenant had trained it well." I said to myself. Truth be told, I had no idea if he even trained it, probably just stole him from a trainer and had other people train it. Either way, it was a very dangerous individual. If the other Lieutenants Pokémon were like that, then I was screwed.

"Are you ok?" I heard a female voice ask me and I cracked an eye open to see a small little sprite holding a flower much bigger than itself in front of me. I stared at the little Pokémon, recognizing it as a Flabébé, the single bloom Pokémon.

"I'm alright, I've had worse." I answered. I could tell the Fairy type meant me no harm, so I closed my eyes to rest them while she floated where she was, or maybe she had already left. I had turned off my aura sense to avoid putting any more strain on my body and mind. I felt something warm envelop me and the pain in my body began to lessen until I found myself free of any soreness or exhaustion. I opened my eyes fully when I realized this and examined my body, seeing not even the smallest scratch or bruise under my fur.

"What in the..." I muttered before hearing a little giggle come from the tiny creature before me.

"There we go, all healed up." She said with a large smile. I found myself smiling back at the fairy before standing to my feet and bowing to her in thanks.

"You have my utmost gratitude, I might very well have been stuck here for hours had you not healed me." I said and returned to my full height. She nodded and went about asking me a few questions about the events that led up to my condition. I answered her honestly, trying to be respectful towards the one who healed me.

"So you were attacked?" she asked, to which I nodded in affirmation.

"Yes, they are a color-coordinated criminal organization known as Team Sunburst." I told her, adding the color thing as a joke. She caught on an offered me a laugh before taking on a face of dead seriousness.

"Please let me come with you." She said out of the blue. I was taken aback from the sudden request and had to give my mind time to catch up before I could offer her a response.

"Uhh...ok...why?" was my reply. If she wanted to accompany us on the journey, then she would need a good reason that I could pass along to Caleb. She actually looked like she was about to tear up after I'm asked this.

"Because I can't stand criminals, ever since one of them stole my mother away from me." She answered. I wondered if she was referring to an actual criminal or just some regular trainer that caught her mother without checking if she had kids first.

"What did this criminal look like?"

"He was a human, about this tall," she rose up about 6 feet in the air, "and he wore a lot of yellow, even his head fur was yellow." Ok, seems like we were talking about the same people. After I tell Caleb this, then there's no doubt he'd take her with us. We needed all of the help we could get, but I don't really think she's Caleb's style. Maybe Ashley would like her, she likes things that are small and cute.

"I'm pretty sure I know who kidnapped your mother, and they just so happen to be the people who attacked me." I said, making her gasp and take on an expression of anger. I could feel her anger and smiled, anger could make her determined, this would be an invaluable trait.

"I can bring you along, but ultimately its not my decision, its my trainers. Tell you what, you come with me and I'll talk with him." I held a paw out to her, which she readily shook. I had to hold back a laugh after seeing the comical size difference between our appendages, I mean my paw was bigger than her.

"Ok, where's your trainer?" she asked. I looked up with my eyes closed so I could use my aura sense to locate the group. I felt a faint aura signature from a good distance away and, knowing it was Caleb's,comet'sade my way towards it.

"This way." I beckoned to her and continued my journey back, the little girl now perched on my shoulder while she preened her flower.

"So how far is your trainer?" she questioned, probably already bored from the walk. I sent out another little aura pulse like an echolocation and saw him.

"If I head to guess, I'd say about 15 minutes, actually about 5, hold on."

"Why do-WAAAA!" she shouted and held onto my neck for dear life after I shot forward, running through the forest in a dead sprint. I made it back to camp in exactly 5 minutes, I know cause I counted, and landed on a high up tree branch. I waited for the perfect moment and leaped down, landing on whatever poor soul who happened to be below me at the time.

"...Oww" I heard someone mutter and I felt accomplished since I had landed on Lee.

"Sorry bud." I chuckled and got off of him so I could make my way over towards my trainer. I found him and the rest of the group by the river, everyone either fishing or playing around in the water, which really didn't do well together at the same time.

"Aaron, welcome back buddy, what took you so long?" He said happily, his happiness fading as soon as he saw my face. He had been with me long enough to tell when I wasn't happy or something was bothering me.

' _We need to talk.'_ I said, my voice portraying my expression. He excused himself and followed me until we were a suitable distance away from everyone so this conversation could be private.

"What's up buddy?" Caleb asked, worry evident in his tone.

' _We might be in danger Caleb, all of us.'_ I told him.

"Why, what happened out there?"

' _I was attacked.'_ He looked shocked after hearing this information and instantly went about checking me for any injuries.

"Why were you attacked, and by who?" he questioned.

' _Do you know about Team Flare?'_ I asked back. I hoped he did, that would make this so much easier.

"Yeah, they were a criminal organization that disbanded a couple years ago, why do you ask?"

' _Because they have been replaced, a new team, Team Sunburst, has assumed their position, and they want to capture me for reasons unknown.'_ I lied about the last part, I didn't want him to know about my past, not yet.

"Why would they want you though, is there something your not telling me?" Boy was smarter than he let off. I sighed and hung my head low, ashamed of keeping secrets from him.

' _I'm sorry Caleb, I just don't want to talk about it, not yet.'_ I said. I worried I might have made him mad by withholding information from him, but he just sighed and placed a hand atop my head.

"Its alright Buddy, just tell me when your ready." He said before noticing the flower on my shoulder. "What's with the flower buddy, getting Lilly a gift or something?"

The flower came to life after hearing him mention it, scaring the living daylights out of my trainer. He held a hand over his heart while he stared at the little Flabébé. I laughed at the scene before reaching a paw down to help him up.

' _Relax Caleb, its just my new friend Flabébé.'_ I said to put him at ease. He moved close to inspect the little Pokémon and moved his head back before sneezing, probably from the pollen that surrounded the flower. _'I brought her here because she wanted to join us.'_

"She wants to join us?" he looked at the Pokémon again and brought a hand up to his chin in thought. "Well, I think Ash has always wanted Flabébé, so sure she can stay."

"Yaaaay!" She cheered after hearing this, floating off of my shoulder and twirling all around in the air. I smiled seeing just how happy she was just to come along with us. It seemed I was right about Ashley wanting a Pokémon like her, even this exact one.

' _Well then, let's go talk to her.'_ I suggested and left before Caleb could even respond.

"Hey! Wait up!" he yelled and ran to catch up to me. We got back to the river and saw that no one had really noticed Caleb's absence. Axel and Ashley were still fishing, quite close to one another I might add, and the rest of the Pokémon were either still playing around in the river or relaxing beside it. I saw Lee had decided to stop being antisocial and joined everyone at the river, but frowned when I realized he was using his powers to dunk Sensei in the water.

"Evil little bastard." I muttered and took my seat next to Ashley, laying my head on her shoulder. She looked at me, surprised at the sudden contact since I never really got this close to her. I glanced up at her and smiled, gesturing to the flower on my shoulder. She looked at it curiously before her eyes lit up and she squealed, nearly bursting my eardrums.

"Oh my Arceus, it's a Flabébé!" I had to hold the girl back from just snatching the fairy away. She struggled in my hold, but I held on tight and allowed the Pokémon enough time to float just out of the girls reach before letting go.

' _Calm down Ashley, your gonna scare the poor girl.'_ I said and waited for her to visibly calm down before gesturing for the fairy to come back down, but stay behind me just in case.

"Sorry, I've just never seen a Flabébé in person and I've always really wanted one." She said and bowed in apology. The sprite accepted the apology for her outburst and gently floated over to her, allowing the girl to reach up and pet her head with a finger. "Aren't you just the cutest thing, oh how I wish you were my Pokémon." I smirked when she said this, knowing I was probably about to make this girls day.

' _It your lucky day dear, for this Flabébé wished to come with us and I thought you would be the perfect trainer for her.'_ Her eyes lit up and, before I even knew what was happening, she had pulled me and Flabébé into a bone crushing hug.

"Oh this is so exciting isn't it Sakura, you have a partner now!" she shouted excitedly at the Froakie that suddenly showed up beside her after releasing us. The silent Pokémon nodded her head and hopped onto her trainers trainer's shoulder, holding a paw, or whatever frogs have, out to the fairy Pokémon. They shook their hands, paws, flippers, hell I don't know just call them hands and have a good day. They shook hands and Ashley pulled a Pokéball out of her whatever she had behind her back and showed it to Flabébé. "Its your choice Flabébé, just touch the ball and you'll be a part of my team and hopefully one of the bestest friends I've ever had."

Flabébé looked between the ball, Ashley, and finally at me. I guessed she was searching for my approval or something and I nodded for her to go ahead. She turned back to the ball and stared at it for another few seconds before coming to her decision, slowly reaching a hand out to tap the button on the ball, causing it to suck her up in a flash of red. It captured her instantly, Flabébé offering little to no resistance, and was immediately released to see the smiling face of her new trainer.

"Now just one last thing before it becomes official. You need a name." Ashley frowned and brought a finger up to her chin in thought.

"How about Angel?" I heard Axel suggest before being elbowed by his girlfriend.

"How unoriginal can you be?" she asked him as he cowered away from the girl.

' _Eva maybe.'_ I suggested, kinda liking the name. She actually looked surprised by my suggestion before a wide smile formed on her lips and she brought me into another hug.

"That's perfect nice job Aaron." She said and ruffled the fur atop my head. I smiled and looked over to the newly named Eva.

"Well then, let me be the first to say, welcome to this disfunctional group of individuals known as our family." I said and reached my paw out to her. I expected her to shake my paw again, but was surprised when she flew right past it and wrapped her tiny arms around my neck.

"Thank you Aaron, I have a family again, and a name I can call my own. All of this was possible because of you, thank you thank you thank you." She cried and buried her face in my neck fluff. I smiled and placed a paw on her back, returning her hug to the best of my ability.

"Its no problem Eva, just make sure to give Ashley a hard time for me." I joked and lightly pushed her towards her trainer after she broke the hug. She nodded and excitedly floated over to the girl, twirling and spinning around her.

"Look at you, making all of the girls, human and Pokémon, the happiest they've ever been. Do Axel or me need to worry about bringing any girls around you?" he jested and wrapped an arm around my neck. I laughed and looked up at him.

' _Please, I'm pretty sure that's illegal and Lilly would have my tail if I tried.'_ I replied and leaned my head on his side.

"Oh no bud, it's perfectly legal in Kalos." I looked up at him, totally shocked that he told me this. He laughed at my expression and didn't notice my face turn into one of mischief.

' _Oh, so you've researched this huh? Do I have to worry about bring any females around you.'_ The boy instantly stopped laughing as a blush adorned his cheeks as he looked down at me in surprise. _'Or males, whichever way you swing.'_ I said, a hint of seduction in my voice as brought a paw up to the arm that held me and pulled his hand down to my stomach. He instantly backed off, making sure no part of him was in contact with me, while I nearly passed out I was laughing so hard.

"Come on man, not funny!" he yelled and glared at the giggling Lucario before him.

' _I'm sorry...but that was just too much.'_ I said with a few more giggles following before I finally calmed down. He frowned and turned away from me with his arms crossed. I shook my head with a smile and walked up beside him, wrapping an arm around his waist. _'Come on bro, don't be like that.'_

"I'm sorry, but that was just too weird." He sighed before looking at me curiously. "don't get mad for me asking this, but are you gay, cause that arm thing was really disturbing."

' _Yes and no.'_ I shrugged, earning a look of confusion from him.

"What do you mean yes and no?"

' _Exactly what it sounds like, I'm not gay or straight, I swing both ways.'_ I elaborated. He nodded in understanding and looked at me a little warily. _'Relax Caleb, I ain't gonna try nothing on you...unless you want me to'_ I said that last part with a seductive growl, getting another blush out of my trainer.

"No thanks." He answered and I stopped all of the acting, knowing I was making him uncomfortable.

' _...Caleb…This won't change anything between us...will it?'_ I asked after a few moments of letting this information sink in. He just smiled and wrapped his arm back around my shoulder while he scratched behind my ears.

"No bud, I don't care about your preferences, your still my friend and partner." He said and I suddenly found myself held up in his arms, bridal style. I smirked and wrapped my arms around his neck.

' _Mmm, my sexy trainer.'_ I said and nuzzled my head into his chest. I was unable to keep up the charade since I couldn't hold back the laugh that escaped my muzzle. He looked down at me uncomfortably and glared at me.

"Ok, that's gonna have to stop." He said, making me sigh and quit with my teasing.

' _Fine...ruin my fun.'_ I pouted and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Yes yes, make you stop teasing me by putting perverted thought in my head, I'm a real killjoy." He rolled his eyes.

' _I never referred to anything perverted Caleb, that was all your imagination.'_ I chuckled while he just sported that blush of his.

"Whatever." He said and looked over my form, tisking in disapproval. "Looks like that little indecent in the woods really dirtied you up, your gonna need a bath."

' _Oh yes, I'm a dirty boy.'_

"AARON!"

 **Well, that was humorous wasn't it, I thought so. I wanted to give myself a laugh as well as open up a whole new world of humor. If you are at all offended by gay jokes, then I apologize in advance for the future chapters.**

 **Now seriously people, y'all are making me sad. I enjoy reading everyone's feedback but y'all just ain't sending me any anymore. I feel so lonely without y'all leaving me at least something. So please send me a review, or send me something through a PM. I'm still taking character requests, even though none of y'all seem to want to send me anything:(.**

 **Until next time y'all,** **Slán mo chairde**


	26. Chapter 26

**Ok, I'm officially mind blown. Over 11,600 views, 57 favs, and 77 followers. I can't thank all of you enough for your support, it shows I'm not just talking to myself anymore. Now here's chapter 26 of my little experiment, hope y'all enjoy**

"Brush brush brush your fur." Ashley sang as she brushed my fur meticulously. How she got ahold of me to do this, I still don't know. From what I've heard, Caleb didn't want me going into Coumarine City looking like some mangy mutt. I didn't really understand why they said I was mangy, my fur was only a little out of place.

' _Are you done?'_ I asked and turned my head back to see her. She smiled, shaking her head and moving my head back forward. I sighed and slouched down, resting my head on Lilly's since she just so happened to be sitting in my lap. She giggled as I wrapped my arms around her, hugging her to me tightly while also being very careful of my chest spike.

"Comfortable beautiful?" I asked and nuzzled behind her big fuzzy ears. She hummed and brought a paw up to my cheek while the other hugged my paws to her chest.

"No where else I'd rather be my sweet." She replied and angled her head back to pull me into a kiss. We stopped soon after hearing someone make a gagging noise and we looked to see Sensei standing not far from us while he held a paw over his mouth in a childish form of disgust.

"Aww, is someone jealous?" I smirked when I saw his yellow face turn a bright orange in a blush. Lilly straight up laughed at the guy when she saw this, making him blush even harder.

"Hey, stop harassing my Pokémon! "Axel shouted, coming to his partners rescue. I just rolled my eyes and looked over to my trainer, seeing him trying to pull a damaged Lee from under a smirking Absol.

'Wonder what he did this time.' I thought and watched the scene in amusement.

' _So, are we taking on the gym today Caleb?'_ I asked after he finally freed the beat up Kirlia. He shook his head in the negatory and took a seat beside me.

"Nah, thought I'd give all of you guys a break from the gym circuit, let us all just explore Coumarine City." He said and pulled out his phone, probably to look up some things about the city.

' _Hmm, I rather like that idea, good thinking bud.'_ He smiled and nodded and went off to finish packing up camp. Not long after he left, I felt that brush trail down my back one last time before Ashley said I was okay to go. I thanked her and went about helping Caleb pick up everything so we could set off for Coumarine.

"So what is there to do in Coumarine, I've never been so I wouldn't know." Axel asked us as we walked through whatever route this was. At this point I just didn't care about names, I just worried about location features. Names usually won't tell you anything so I guess the Pokémon inside was starting to take over. I didn't worry about it too much since this part of my brain usually kept to itself, so I was able to stay myself very easily.

"Well, let's see, there's two districts in Coumarine City, Hillcrest, that's the side were coming in at, and Seaside, which is on the other side of the city. Each district has its own things to do, what they are, I really don't know." Ashley explained.

"And since we all have different tastes we'll all split up to see the town." Caleb added, honestly surprising me. He would let all of the Pokémon just walk around town, unsupervised. I mean, I know that Pokémon weren't just a bunch of mindless beasts, but I thought there would be at least some people against us moving about in the city like human beings. I wasn't going to complain though, this would be the perfect time for me to have some alone time with my mate, which I haven't had in far too long.

' _Yay, time to cause chaos!'_ I yelled excitedly and clapped my paws together.

"No disturbing the peace or anything else illegal." Caleb ordered, causing my ears to droop sadly. I tried giving him the puppy dog eyes, but I soon realized that it wouldn't work since he did well at resisting Lilly's, so I head no chance.

' _Come on Caleb...I'll make it worth your while.'_ I smirked at his blush and patted his back with a laugh. The boy got flustered way to easy, just a little harmless flirting and he turns red as a tomato berry.

"I thought you said you would stop doing that to me." He whined.

' _Oh, my sweet little human, I never promised anything.'_ I giggled and nuzzled his side. _'But if you really want me to, I'll give you a break.'_

"Thank you." He smiled and scratched behind my ears, making me growl in canine pleasure. Then it abruptly stopped when I was suddenly grabbed by paw and dragged away by Lilly. I was about to question her when she grabbed my head with both paws and forced to look to my right. I was greeted by the sight of a city in the distance. I guessed that was Coumarine City and mentally cheered.

Being out in the woods was all well and good, but nature didn't have much to tell me about this world. The cities however, they were filled with dozens of new things to experience, things that nature just couldn't provide.

I took one look at Lilly and smirked.

"Race you there." I said before storming off like a bullet towards the city. She shouted for me to wait, but I didn't even slow my steps. I knew she was going to be mad at me for basically ditching her since she would never be able to keep up with me, but it was worth it for the laugh.

So here I was, standing around the outskirts of Coumarine City waiting for the group. I probably had a while since the city wasn't really all that close and I only reached it this soon by going full speed, and I can run pretty freaking fast. I chose this time to try and relieve myself of all of the stress I had developed since yesterday and sat down right under a nearby tree to meditate.

"No way! A Lucario!" At least that was the plan if whoever said that hadn't shown up. I cracked an eye open to see a little kid, couldn't have been older than seven, pointing at me while I guessed what was his sister standing beside him, holding his hand. The boy looked quite excited and was tugging on his sisters hand, trying to pull her closer to me with him.

"Indeed it is Joshua, a pretty rare sight around here." The boy's sister said. She was most likely a trainer from the looks of her, all the classic stuff that set her apart from everyone else, and we all know that if you look different, than your important.

I watched the girl place a hand on her brothers shoulder as she slowly moved closer to me. She approached me slowly and carefully, like one would a startled animal. I just sat there and followed her movements, watching her just as carefully.

"Hello Lucario, my names Leila, its nice to meet you." I raised a brow at how casual she spoke to me and looked down at the hand she offered me. I smiled and gently held her palm, placing a kiss on the back of her hand.

"The pleasure is mine Leila." I replied and leaned back against the tree. Laila giggled at the gesture and reached out for me again. I allowed her hand to come closer and closed my eyes at the feeling of fingers scratching behind my ears.

"Leila, can I pet him too?" Joshua asked his sister. She looked to me for permission for her brother and I nodded, seeing no harm in it. He nearly jumped for joy and ran up to me immediately, putting his small hands on my chest and scratching through the tan fluff. I had to hold back the growl rising in my throat from the feeling of him rubbing my fur the wrong way. You don't go against the grain, especially with me, but he was only a child.

"No Joshua, you can't rub him like that, your hurting him." She told her little brother and grabbed his wrists. She must have seen the pained expression I wore while he petted me and rubbed the spot he was just messing with, showing him how to pet me right. "See, go with the grain, don't go against the way his fur grows."

Joshua nodded and copied his sister and stroked my chest carefully. "He's so soft." He looked to his sister with begging eyes. "Can you catch him, please?"

I smiled and reached a paw out to pat his head lightly, getting his attention. I shook my head at him and pointed at his sister then pointed out in the direction of wherever my trainer was.

"Sorry, I think he already has a trainer bro." I nodded at her when she said this. Joshua hung his head sadly, upset I couldn't travel with him and his sister. I smiled and pulled him towards me, resting him by my side. I decided to try and make him a bit happier by playing with him and used my superior strength to hold him close to me and poked his sides with my free paw. The laughing was almost instantaneous as he squirmed in my hold while his sister watched the scene, amusement clear on her face.

"Stop...Mr. Lucario...it tickles!" he struggled to say between his laughs and I stopped after a few more seconds, allowing him to catch his breath.

"No more frowning." I smiled and ruffled his hair before helping him back up to his feet so he could sit by his sister.

"AARON!" I heard a certain Braixen yell as my blood ran ice cold. She sounded really mad and I knew that a mad Lilly translated as pain of some sort. As soon as I turned to look at her, I was tackled onto my back with a glaring fox holding a burning stick right at me.

"Whoa baby, stand down." I smiled and wrapped my arms around her, wrestling her to the ground and holding her arms down so her stick couldn't burn me. "No need for violence."

She kept her glare on me for a minute more before huffing and relaxing under me. I slowly released my grip on her arms and pulled her up into a hug. She didn't return it, probably still kind of mad at me, so I doubled my efforts and nuzzled her cheek. I thought she would have resisted this too, but was proven wrong when she started to nuzzle me back.

"Sorry I ran from you baby, I was just having some fun." I apologized and pulled back to peck her gently on the lips. She sighed before smiling back at me and rubbing a paw on my cheek.

"Gross!" Joshua yelled and shielded his eyes from the over-affectionate scene. I quickly separated from Lilly, forgetting that we were in the presence of a child. Leila took it a different way and nearly died laughing at my reaction to her brothers outburst.

"Who are these people hon?" Lilly asked as she looked at the pair quizzically. I was about to answer her, but Joshua beat me to it.

"Cool, a Braixen, are you with Mr. Lucario? My names Joshua and this is my sister Leila, its so great to see you, that makes two Pokémon I've never seen before until now. Wow, this is so exciting." He said, making me and Lilly kind of just stare at him out of surprise. The boy had said that entire sentence without even needing to breath.

"Uhh..." Was all Lilly was able to get out before turning to me for help. I just shrugged and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, telling her not to question it.

"Aaron, Lilly, where are-oh there you two are." I heard Caleb say as he finally caught up with us. He looked like he was about to scold me for running away, but immediately stopped when he saw the people that were in front of me.

"Oh, hello." He greeted and gave them a small wave. Leila smiled and rose up to greet him.

"Hello, I'm Leila, and this is my brother Joshua, it's a pleasure. I'm guessing these two are yours." She said while pointing a thumb back at us. Caleb smiled widely and nodded, moving closer to the two of us and wrapping an arm around the both of us.

"Yep, these two were the first Pokémon I ever got." He replied as we both nuzzled him under his chin. The act brought a smile to everyone's faces just from how adorable it looked.

"I see, you must take good care of them, they seem to really like you." Leila commented, actually looking a little jealous. I smirked and separated from my trainer to sit next to her. She looked down at me confused before a giggle escaped her lips when I pressed my head up against her neck. "And apparently he likes me."

"Yeah, that's my Aaron, he only does this with people he trusts so you must be a very good person." Caleb smiled and watched me nuzzle Leila while he kept petting Lilly. All in all, it was a very cute scene to anyone passing by. I reluctantly pulled away from Leila with a yawn, her petting was starting to put me to sleep.

' _We should probably get to the city before it gets dark.'_ I said to Caleb after noticing that the sun was nearly touching the horizon. We must have spent a few hours here since it was actually about seven o'clock when we got here, then again I was nearly passed out most of the time because of Leila so I might not have noticed the time change.

"Yeah, good idea, sorry Leila, but we really need to get going." He told her and rose from his spot, cracking his back which was probably stiff from sitting on the ground for so long.

"That's alright, but why did you say good idea, no one said anything?"

' _Don't tell her of my abilities, I don't need to advertise it anymore.'_ I quickly told him with a very serious expression. He gave me a faint nod and thought of a quick excuse.

"Oh that, yeah, sometimes I end up talking to myself like that, sorry." He told her, hoping she would buy it. She didn't question him though and just smiled at him while she held a hand out to him.

"That's alright, I do it all the time. It was nice meeting you, maybe we'll see each other again." He nodded and shook her hand right as the rest of the group finally caught up. They all looked out of breath, even the Pokémon, who had a lot more stamina than average humans, looked more tired than Caleb when he got here. Maybe he ran track in school or something.

' _Yay, more introductions.'_ I sighed and grabbed Lilly's paw. _'Yeah, no thanks, we'll be in the city if you need us.'_ I told him, also saying it to try and disguise my telepathy.

"Fine, just head towards the Pokémon Center, we'll be right behind you." I nodded and walked off with Lilly by my side.

The walk was highly uneventful, just the occasional random comment from Lilly as she watched the sun start to set and the stars start to male themselves known . We were only about five minutes from the city limits when Lilly suddenly stopped me. I looked back at her questioningly while she just smiled and took both my paws in hers.

"You know" she started while trailing one of her fingers on the back of my paws, "this night reminds me so much of the one we spent together back at the garden."

"At Camphrier Town?" I asked, receiving a nod. I smiled and leaned forward, placing my forehead against hers. "Yeah...you were so adorable."

"And I'm not adorable anymore?" she joked, receiving a chuckle from me.

"No, your not my adorable little Fennekin anymore, now your my beautiful Braixen." I replied, making her smile and place a small kiss on my cheek.

"You need to learn to stop stating the obvious." She giggled. I just rolled my eyes and pulled her into a loving embrace.

"Yeah, yeah." I said and picked her up off her feet, carrying her in my arms like a wedded bride. She giggled and wrapped her arms around my neck while her head rested on my chest. That's how we entered the city, basically showing our love for each other to anyone crazy enough to be out after sunset. It took me a minute to find the Pokémon Center, apparently having to rely on Lilly's "Perfect" memory to guide us after she read one of the maps spread around town. Needless to say it took us roughly half an hour to find the building, despite it having literally the most eye catching symbol of a Pokéball right in the front.

"Hello, and welcome to the Pokémon center, how may I help you?" A Nurse Joy asked from behind the counter after hearing the doors open. She stared at the two of us after turning around until a smile formed on her face. I smiled back and handed her Caleb's ID, which I had snatched shortly before leaving, the boy had like seven of those things in case he lost the others, so he wouldn't miss one.

"Oh, are you checking in for your trainer?" I nodded and took back the ID, receiving a key in the process. "Room eight, I'll tell your trainer when he gets here, Caleb correct." I nodded and bid her farewell before making my way into the back toward the rooms. Lilly unlocked the door after reaching our room, me being unable to since my paws were currently occupied, and I kicked it open, then used my tail to shut it behind me.

Shortly after I had entered the room with my mate, the door suddenly cracked open and anyone on the outside would have seen a snow white paw slipping a tie around the doorknob before it closed with an audible click.

"Now, let's have some fun."

 **Yay, another one done, I'm so proud of myself. If you don't know what the tie means, then your probably too young to know in the first place. Sorry about length by the way, most of these chapters have been rush jobs due to time constraints.**

 **Don't be afraid to tell me what y'all think, I can take it...don't take that out of context.**

 **Until next time,** **adiaŭa amikojn**


	27. Chapter 27

**I'm tired so I have nothing to say except enjoy yourself while you read this. And if you were one of those people who were expecting this thing to turn to an M rating, your gonna have to wait. It probably will sooner or later though, knowing my mind. Sooner or later, fanfictions gonna send me an email or something telling me to change it to M, but until then its still rated T.**

"That was your own fault, you saw the tie." I said to Lee as he sat in the same position as last night after catching me and Lilly, sitting in the corner in the fetal position. He just whimpered and curled up tighter, shielding his eyes from me. "Whatever, little drama queen."

Yeah, turns out we timed our little late night activities at the worst time cause Caleb and the rest of the team just burst into the room in the middle of it, without even knocking. Thank God that Kaen was in her Pokéball at the time, I definitely didn't want to have to explain what we were doing in here.

"I think you scarred him for life." Caleb said and knelt down next to the Kirlia, poking him in the side to try and get a reaction. I rolled my eyes and looked at the Pokémon boredly.

' _Not our fault, you should have knocked.'_ I shrugged and leaned back on the bed, immediately finding myself in the loving arms of my mate. _'Now can we change the subject?'_ This discussion was starting to get to me as a blush started to form on my cheeks. Caleb caught this and smirked cruelly.

"Oh, but why stop, I want to hear all about it." I had to try my hardest not to laugh, he was setting himself for this.

' _You do, do you, well why go about explaining it when you could just join in next time.'_ I smirked and leapt off the bed and stood next to him, my tail now curled up around his leg.

"Yeah, change the subject, great idea." He quickly said and jumped back from me, making my ears droop.

' _aww, but we could have so much fun together.'_ I fake pouted before sulking back towards Lilly. I can't help it, I'm flirty sometimes...ok, a lot of times. I can't help it, its just who I am.

"Whatever bro...now, while I take Lee to see a psychiatrist, you are all free to walk around town and do your own thing. Just promise me you won't cause any destruction or chaos while I'm not around." He was now staring directly at me. I was the second most evil and destructive person on this team, only being beaten by Lee, but seeing as he will be incapacitated at the moment, his responsibility fell on me.

' _I make no promises.'_ I answered simply. He just sighed and pointed at Lilly, telling her to follow me around and otherwise keep me in check. She did a little salute and joined him in staring me down. _'...fine...I won't destroy the city.'_

"Good boy." He said, instantly receiving a growl from me. He knew better than to treat me like some animal, I am a Lucario dammit, and I refuse to have my honor soiled by a simple name.

'Whoa...the hell did that come from?' I didn't have any control over that thought. Maybe the Lucario inside took over for a minute, but I didn't know it could come out that easily.

"Ok, ok, sorry bud, didn't mean to offend." He held his hands up placatingly and seemed to drop it then and there. "now go out and have fun, remember what I said and be back by sundown." He said and basically kicked us out of the room, locking the door behind us. We all exchanged looks before shrugging it off and walking out of the Center, meeting up with the rest of the Pokémon in our group in the nearby battlefield.

"Sup everyone, how's it hanging." I greeted as we stepped up to them.

"Hey you guys, your trainer tell you to just go walk the town too?" Sensei asked, receiving a nod from us. He nodded back and looked toward the battlefield one again. I could see the desire in his eyes, he really wanted a battle, especially since we hadn't sparred since the incident in the forest. I would have had one with him, had I not wanted to explore the city while I could.

"Well, if y'all don't mind, I'm just gonna walk around, feel free to join me." I said before setting off in a random direction. They had little else to do so they pretty much just stuck with me for awhile.

Let me tell you, when a group of about seven Pokémon walk around town, completely unsupervised, it tends to catch an eye or two. We got stared at by nearly every person we passed, the Pokémon not really caring while several idiots actually reached for their Pokéballs. I didn't know if they intended to fight or try and capture us, but they usually figured it out before trying either.

"Does anyone else have the feeling that something very bad is going to happen?" Yuki asked, instantly making us hyper aware of our surroundings. If the Absol of the group was feeling negative vibes, then something will most likely happen. I looked around the place with my aura sense to see if here feeling was correct, and what I saw made me wary. Their was a aura signature that gave off an inherently evil vibe, sending a chill down my spine. Then it disappeared, just like a ghost it was gone.

"What the?" I muttered and looked in the direction where I saw it.

"What is it Daddy?" Kaen asked. I didn't answer, still listening in for anything out of the ordinary.

"...Nothing baby girl, daddy's just seeing things." I told her, not wanting to alarm anyone. I wanted them to have fun exploring the town, not have too worry about something I thought I saw.

"Are you sure, I could have sworn I sensed something." Yuki said, oblivious of my intentions. I nudged her with an elbow and fixed her a glare. She still didn't seem to understand before I swiped a paw over my throat in a 'be quiet' gesture. She nodded, still not quite understanding why I was telling her this, and kept on walking, also on alert for anything that may come.

"So Eva, how have you and Ashley been getting along?" Sensei asked the newest member of the group. The Flabébé looked at the Mienfoo before offering him a shrug.

"She's alright, a little loud for my tastes, that and she won't stop calling me cute." She answered.

"Yep, that's Ashley for you, should have been there when I was a Riolu. That reminds me, does she still sleep with that Riolu doll?" I asked her curiously. She nodded and shivered a little, barely enough to be perceptible. The subtle action made me worry, but I decided it was best to leave it alone.

"Ok then...what do y'all wanna do?" I asked them all. I received nothing but shrugs and silence as an answer. They were not about to do that to me, so I came up with a thorough enough punishment. I leaped on top of the nearest building and disappeared from their sight. If they were going to tell me they don't know what they want to do, then they'd have to figure this city out on their own. I couldn't stop myself from giggling at the idea of them just running around town, especially since most them are wild and the only one somewhat accustomed to the city life was now hiding in the shadows.

They didn't panic though, much to my disappointment. They all just looked around before shrugging and moving on in the direction we were all originally going in. I took on a crestfallen look and sulked off deeper into the city. I wasn't all that disappointed though, they probably just came to the conclusion that I wanted to be alone again and left me to my own devices.

I got over it quickly and started jumping from building to building, exploring the city my own way. I gotta tell you, this city, despite being so large, was actually pretty quiet. There are parts of the forest that are louder than this.

Don't get me wrong, the sounds of people and Pokémon mulling about was still prevalent, but to a very marginal degree. The place didn't really have anything I would deem very interesting, other than a giant tree on the outskirts of the city, which was taller than even Prism Tower back in Lumiose.

I overheard a few conversations that referred to the tree as the giving tree. It was an extremely vital factor in the celebration that the city holds every once in a while. I decided I'd give it a look since I had little else to do, so that's how I found myself here, staring up at a tree that would put a colossus to shame. I couldn't explain why, but just simply standing under the giant made me feel more at ease. I've heard that places where many pleasant memories were made are special and that just being near them can endow you with many pleasant emotions, like the opposite where somewhere that many men have died will feel extremely eerie and make you anxious or scared.

"Its quite a sight, isn't it?" I heard someone say from behind me. I turned to acknowledge the man who head spoke and saw a rather short elderly looking man smiling down at me from atop his Gogoat mount. I smiled back and turned to face him, bowing to him respectfully. I had a deep respect for the elderly and made sure I showed it. "My, my, such a well mannered fella." He laughed and slowly dismounted from the Gogoat.

"Hello sirs." I greeted, both the man and the Pokémon, who I believed was hitting his elderly age.

"Hello to you too young one." The Pokémon replied, bowing his head in greeting. I turned my attention to the man as he made his way over to stand beside me and look up at the tree with a large smile.

"Not often you see a Lucario around here, much less one without their trainer right next to 'em." He said and turned to look at me again. I shrugged and pointed back at the city, telling him that my trainer was in the city. "Oh, so he let you go out exploring did he? Well that was mighty kind of 'em." The man turned to the Gogoat and put a gloved hand on its flank. "It always warms my heart to see a trainer that has that much trust in his Pokémon, especially one as strong and powerful as you."

I smiled and thanked him before turning my eyes back to the tree, still marveling at its size. He caught my gaze took a step closer to the plant.

"It's quite impressive isn't it? The giving tree is not something to just pass by without a little peek." He said, stepping up and placing a hand on the tree. "This old tree represents something truly marvelous. They say it got so big and strong because it was planted to show the bond between trainer and Pokémon, and since everyone in town shares true friendship with their partners, the tree grew even taller."

I tilted my head and moved next to him, placing a paw on the tree. I was instantly filled with contentment just from touching it. The tree seemed to give off a strong aura of pure joy and happiness. It was so good, that I had to fight down every instinct I head just to take my paw off.

"Whoa." I breathed, amazed that a plant could give off emotions in the first place. The man chuckled at my reaction and gently too my paw in his hand before placing it back on the tree.

"Go on young one, enjoy it. Everyone who touches the tree says they feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I imagine that that feeling is intensified for Lucario since your known as the Aura Pokémon." I nearly fell from touching the tree for so long, the aura starting to become intoxicating. I shook my head and pulled away from it again, nearly bursting into tears from the loss of contact.

"How is this possible?" I questioned while staring at the tree, amazement clear on my face. I know that every living thing gave off its own aura, but trees and other plants were always neutral, even dying one's remained the same. Somehow this tree actually had emotions, this was a scientific impossibility. Then again, creatures like me were scientific impossibilities so I really shouldn't be questioning it.

"Wait a second, where are my manners, I forgot to introduce myself." He said apologetically and reached an open hand out towards me. "My names Ramos, it's a pleasure to meet ya." I shook the mans hand and knelt down to scribble my name in the dirt. "Aaron huh, that's a nice name."

"Thank you Mr. Ramos." I bowed again to show my thanks since I refused to use my telepathy right now. He chuckled and placed a hand on my head, starting to gently rub it.

"Now, now, there ain't no need for all that. I appreciate how well mannered you are, but you don't have to keep bowing to me, I'm no king, I'm just an old man." He said before a small beeping started cooking from his overall pocket. He pulled out what looked like a small pager and read whatever the message was before sighing and offering me an apologetic smile. "Sorry to leave so soon but duty calls."

I nodded and offered my paw to him, to which he heartily shook before we bid one another goodbye. So once again I was left under the tree, completely alone, the nearest person being far away in the town. I was tempted to touch the tree again to ward off the sudden feeling of loneliness I felt, but held myself back and decided to head back to town to find my friends.

When I got back into the town, I did a quick aura scan to try and find out where my friends where, but something else head caught my attention first. There was an aura signature that resonated with pure fear, enough to make me a little lightheaded. I turned my attention there and ran off to help whoever was in so much fear. I ended up on the very edge of the city in my search and followed the signature into a dark alley. I know what your thinking, pretty cliché right, but that's just where I ended up.

"Come on kid, just give us your Pokémon and we'll let you go." Someone said and I followed the voice a little farther into the alley, finding two Sunburst grunts harassing a young kid that looked to be only a little younger than my trainer holding an unconscious Pokémon in his arms, I wasn't to sure about the species since he had it all covered up but I did catch a glimpse of a gray and red furred tail. Seems like they were starting to o make themselves known, you can't keep stealing Pokémon on low profile.

"For the last time, it's not my Pokémon, I can't just give her to you." He cried and hugged the little bundle tighter to himself. I could see the fear and desperation in his eyes, and I just couldn't stand it. I quietly crept up on both of the grunts and lightly tapped on their shoulders, getting them both to look back at me, only to receive a Lucario fist to their jaws. Both grunts fell unconscious from the blow, leaving me and the kid alone in the alley, sort of.

"Hey, you ok?" I asked and offered my paw to him, making him look up at me in surprise.

"What?" He glanced back behind me, catching sight of the two unconscious grunts. He then looked to my paw and stared at it for a few seconds before tentatively reaching out and grasping it.

"Thank you Lucario." He said appreciatively and checked the bundle in his arms. I took the chance to catch a peek at the Pokémon. I was quite surprised to find a small Zorua sleeping peacefully in the blanket.

"It's not a problem." I replied with a smile and went back to the grunts. I looked back at the boy and gestured for him to go on ahead and head to his original destination before grabbing both the grunts and dragging them out of the alley all the way towards the police station.

"How may w-" the lady at the counter stopped mid sentence as she watched me drag the two yellow stains into the middle of the room, drop them to the ground, and walk out without a word. The kid was nowhere to be seen so I guessed he went off to do whatever, leaving me to look for my friends once again. At least I knew Yuki was right about her feeling, like I really had any doubt.

"Team Sunburst is getting more aggressive" I told myself, my mind wandering to that event. There's no way they had done this before if they kept a low profile, this was a recent order. Then again, this could have just been a rouge pair of grunts going against their superiors orders. I hoped it was the latter, or the future was about to get much more interesting.

"Gotta tell Caleb, it's only a matter of time till they find me again. I have to be prepared for them, I can't be caught off guard again.

'Alright...let's focus on something else, one problem at a time.' All this thinking was starting to make me tired so I abandoned the search for everyone and retreated back to the Pokémon center for a nap, confident they'd come back there later.

 **Alright, there you go. Sorry if this one wasn't all that great, I kind of had to write this with a lot of distractions around.**

 **Anyway, I have had a few ideas for a new tf story while I recover and figure out this story. I just wanted to give myself a break from this story since its just starting to get mundane. I wanted to mix it up a little, inspire some new ideas.**

 **I hope to post the first chapter of it soon so keep an eye out if these stories are your kind of thing.**


	28. Chapter 28

**Hey guys, I'm back once again with the longest chapter yet. Sorry about the long wait on this one, I've had another story on the back burner so I could give myself a break and figure things out for this one. Of y'all ain't already read it, y'all can read the first four chapter's of my new story 'Umbra Aeternam'. If y'all could check it out, then I'd really appreciate it. Now I'll let y'all read and stop having to listen to my yammering.**

" _Please, put me back in my ball"_ I groaned as I stumbled along beside my trainer. Caleb patted my head apologetically and popped another Pokéblock, which counted as my breakfast, in my mouth.

"Sorry bud, but we gotta get you to wake up for the battle today." I sighed and leaned heavily on him while I struggled to keep my eyes open. Despite going to sleep a little earlier than everyone else, I still couldn't get enough of it. I've rarely had that problem, but when I did, it truly was a problem.

" _Whatever...how much farther?"_ I asked after releasing a yawn and rubbing my eyes with a paw. He answered me by pointing to a large tree in the distance.

"Another tree...yay" I sarcastically stated and held a paw up in mock celebration. I wished I could have been like the rest of our group, able to actually sleep in instead of getting up at the crack of dawn to go and fight plants, as I had eventually discovered. Turns out that the old man I had met under the giving tree was actually the gym leader. I was surprised at first, but eventually realized that it made sense. The man looked like a gardener, and he ran a grass type gym, the two kind of went together quite well.

"The entire tree is considered to be the gym, but the battlefield will be at the very top, so its gonna be a bit of a climb" he said, making me groan and try and snatch my ball from his belt. He anticipated the move though and quickly grabbed it so I couldn't come in contact with it. I retaliated by giving him the puppy dog eyes, to which he just raised a brow with a smirk plastered on his face. "Nice try bud, but you know that doesn't work on me."

I sighed and resigned myself to my fate, following close behind him as we made our way up the tree. I stumbled a few times during the climb, courtesy of my half awake state, but otherwise made it up relatively easily. Of course Caleb, who wasn't use to climbing as much as I, had to stop and catch his breath a few times during the trip up. All in all, we had reached the top in about maybe...half an hour, give or take.

Thankfully I had woken up a little during the climb, so I was more or less ready for a battle, while Caleb struggled to climb that last ledge.

' _Should I have carried you?'_ I taunted with a smirk while reaching a paw down to him. He just punched my shoulder after I had helped him up, making me laugh as his attempt to hurt me only made him hurt himself.

"Oww, dang that hurt!" he yelped and held his bruised knuckles while I just kept laughing at him.

' _You should know, never punch a Steel type, it won't end well for you.'_ He just glared at me before walking on ahead, leaving me to follow behind him while I was adamantly ignored. I shrugged at his behavior and kept my 'mouth' shut, trying tot to irritate him further, no matter how much I wanted to.

"Well hello there, how can I help you young one's today?" I heard a familiar voice ask from out of no where, instantly breaking the tension between me and my trainer. We both looked behind us to see Ramos, the gym leader, standing there with a wide smile of his face.

"Oh, hello there Mr. Ramos, my names Caleb, and I was wondering if I could have a gym battle with you today" Caleb said, getting straight to the point. Ramos nodded to him before turning his attention to me with a concentrated look on his face.

"Say, you look mighty familiar, aren't you that Lucario I met yesterday, under the old giving tree?" he asked, to which I nodded. He smiled again and walked towards the both of us. "Well, it's a mighty fine pleasure to meet you again, as well as your trainer."

"Wait, you two met before?" Me and Ramos nodded and before looking at each other, a smile adorning both our faces.

"Indeed we have, and I gotta say that he's probably the most polite Pokémon I've ever had the pleasure to meet." I bowed to him in thanks, receiving a gentle pat on the head from both my trainer and the gym leader. "See what I mean."

"Yeah, that's Aaron for ya, I swear, it like he's more human than Lucario sometimes." He really had no idea just how on the ball he was with that statement. It even got a little chuckle out of me, seeing him so close but extremely clueless.

"Indeed, and since you raised him to be so polite to his elders, I thought you and I could have a battle right away." Caleb's eyes lit up matter hearing this.

"Really? Oh thank you Mr. Ramos." Was it hard to get a gym battle from him or something, sheesh. "But I have to tell you, I didn't raise him to be like that, he's just naturally polite."

"That's even better, now let's not keep him waiting, I know how fighting types can be."

'Don't be stereotyping me' I mentally growled, purely as a poor joke to myself. He was actually right on the money about how I was feeling right now, and that was excited. I hadn't had a real battle in far too long, so I was raring to go.

"Yes sir" Caleb responded and stepped back to his side of the field. "Now are you ready for me?"

"Now, now, don't be getting overconfident" Ramos chuckled and pulled a ball from his belt. "Alright, Jumpluff, come on out!"

"Kaen, I choose you!" my eyes shot open wide and I very nearly punched the human as hard as I could. Instead I sat there stunned, seeing my little now three tailed fox standing on the battlefield.

' _Caleb, you have exactly three seconds to recall her before I punch the ever loving shit out of you'_ I growled in his mind, looking up at my trainer with a snarl and my hackles raised.

"Wait Aaron, just hear me out." Caleb begged and tried his best to sooth my anger. I stayed silent and listened to him, despite wanting to seriously hurt him right now, but kept my threatening posture.

"I know you care about her, and I know you don't want to see her get hurt, but how will she learn to battle if you never let her try?"

' _I never said I didn't want her to battle, but there is no freaking way her first battle will be a gym battle.'_ After I said this, Caleb gave me a nervous smile, making me eye him suspiciously. _'Caleb...is there something your not telling me?'_

"Yeah...this, kind of isn't her first battle" Caleb said with a nervous chuckle. My eye twitched as I was now slowly reaching out towards him. I grabbed a hold of his shirt collar and brought him down to my eye level.

' _Caleb, I know you are my trainer, but if you ever disobey me when it comes to my baby girl, I will cut off your hands, and bitch slap you with them all the way to the freaking Pokémon League.'_ I promised to get him to the League, never specified what condition he had to be in. He now looked thoroughly terrified of me so I backed off, releasing his collar and stepping away from him while still glaring at him. _'I will allow it this time, I forgot that once a Pokémon is on the field that its automatically considered in the bloody queue, but when this battle is over, I want to talk to you privately.'_

"...Alright...I'm sorry Aaron." He apologized, to which I just waved off.

' _Whatever.'_

"Alright, ya ready whippersnapper?" Ramos questioned. Caleb nodded and looked to Kaen with a confident smile.

' _Good luck sweetheart, and remember, no matter the outcome, I'll be proud of you'_ I smiled and nodded to her, feeling her confidence resonating in her aura.

"I'll try my hardest daddy, now let's do this, I'm ready to show you what I can do" she said excitedly, earning a chuckle from me.

I watched Ramos nod to one of his gardeners and he ran up to the referee box after sharing a few words with the gym leader.

"ALRIGHT, THE GYM BATTLE BETWEEN RAMOS, THE COUMARINE CITY GYM LEADER, AND CALEB, THE CHALLENGER, SHALL NOW COMMENCE...READY, BATTLE BEGIN!"

"Alright Kaen, let's start this off with a Flamethrower!" Caleb commanded, to which Kaen responded by rearing her head back and throwing the pillar of fire at the cotton weed Pokémon.

"Dodge it and use Cotton Guard!" Ramos called, prompting the Jumpluff to deftly leap away from the attack before surrounding itself with more of its cottony spores, sharply raising its defense.

' _Caleb, its attack power is pitiful, it's a Pokémon he uses purely to wear you out and piss you off'_ I told him, recalling a little information about Ramos' Pokémon. He nodded and ordered another Flamethrower, only form that to be dodged all the same.

"Get in close with Quick Attack!" The Vulpix nodded before leaping from her spot, sprinting at the Jumpluff full speed.

"Keep it back with Razor Leaf!" The opponent followed the command, calling down leaves from all around it and flinging them at the speeding Vulpix.

"Quick, Flamethrower again!" the attacks collided and created a cover for Kaen as she closed in and delivered a strong headbutt on her opponent.

'That a girl' I smiled and watched her repeat her attack, somehow seeing her way through the cloud of dust, despite never having battled in it...at least to my knowledge.

"Float up and use Sunny Day!" As soon as he ordered this, it felt like I suddenly found myself in a sauna, having to pant to cool down in the intense heat from the sun. Caleb didn't seem to mind the in the least though, in fact he looked downright giddy. He knew the move could double Kaen's power, but he was probably forgetting one thing.

"Use Fire Fang." That mouth full of scalding flames did look a lot more dangerous than usual, but it wouldn't mean anything if he couldn't hit it, which he was no where near doing. The Jumpluff was now moving at a speed that rivaled a freight train.

' _Its faster than before, meaning that it must have the special ability Chlorophyll, which doubles its speed in intense sunlight.'_

"Well that's just dandy" he growled and watched the Pokemon's movements carefully as he let Kaen attack in any way she wanted. I did the same and, in no time at all, saw that there was a pattern. Each time it dodged a certain attack, it moved in a certain way, instantly making it quite an easy target even with it's increased speed.

"Now Flamethrower, but spread it out!" Now my baby girls a fire sprinkler, dotting the field with red hot flames. The Jumpluff had no way to dodge it when it was literally everywhere, so in the end, it got clipped by an Ember before bursting into flames, that Cotton Guard just making it that much more flammable. Next thing we know, that thing was crashing down in a blaze of pure and glorious fire, enough to make a grown man cry.

"Jumpluff!" Ramos yelled and watched as the flames quickly died out on his Pokémon, all the cotton now burnt off, before returning it to its Pokéball.

"I did it, I won daddy!" Kaen cried and leapt into my arms from out of nowhere. I caught her easily and congratulated her in her victory, giving her an affectionate nuzzle.

"I'm so proud of you sweetheart, you fought well, and listened to your trainer. I'm glad your doing things right." I set the happy little kit down before returning my eyes to the field, seeing a Weepinbell now sitting on the field, waiting for us patiently. I must not have heard it popping out in my distraction, so I gave it an apologetic look before nudging my trainer.

' _Let me take over'_ I said and put Kaen in my place.

"Wait, why?" he questioned.

' _I'm part steel, and most Weepinbell know at least one poison type move. My typing makes me immune to that type of attack'_ I explained. Caleb gave me that 'oh right' face before nodding and returning Kaen to her Pokéball.

"Oh, sending Aaron out already are we? Well there's one strategy out the door" Ramos chuckled and gave me a kind smile. I smiled back and bowed to the man before taking my stance, eagerly awaiting my trainers orders.

"Alright buddy, use Extreme Speed!" I was right in their faces before he even finished that sentence. Weepinbell looked up at me in absolute shock and terror before I punched it right into the ground, imbedding it in the dirt.

"What the!" Both Ramos and Caleb exclaimed, amazed the sheer speed of my attack.

"That's what happens when you don't let a fighting type battle for over a week" I shouted and leapt away from my opponent and back in front of Caleb. _'Now let's do this!'_

"Right, use Force Palm while its down!" I did just that, powering up the energy and rearing my arm back as I drew close, only to fall flat on my muzzle. I rolled out of the way of a Razor Leaf and backpedaled away so I could assess the situation.

'Tripped me with a Grass Knot' I said internally as I eyed the small roots rising from the dirt, making the natural tripping arch. That means speed is out the window, especially since there was no way I could get as fast as I did the first time. That was just an attack to release the energy I've been building up, which probably would have been better saved for a different attack, but it was too later to go back now.

"Razor Leaf!" My eyes instantly shot up and I formed a Bone Rush in my paws, twirling it around in front of me to block the many leaves that sped towards me. A few got through, leaving small cuts on my skin, but otherwise leaving me unharmed.

"Extreme Speed!" I nodded and sprinted towards my opponent as fast I possibly could.

"Grass Knot!"

"Not this time!" I shouted and formed a Bone Rush, using it as a pole vault as I flew into the air and dropped onto the Weepinbell with a downwards Blaze Kick. The hit connected, causing a huge amount of damage, but when I tried to move back after hitting it, I simply couldn't. The thing had grabbed my leg with one of its leaf hands and somehow leapt high into the air, still holding my leg, and flinging me to the ground with a Slam attack. The impact hurt like hell, but I recovered quickly and rolled back onto my feet.

"Aaron, you okay?" I heard Caleb ask and I looked back at him with a nod before turning back to my opponent with a glare.

' _I'm fine, now give me another order before I go off on my own.'_ The look he gave me was one of determined amusement as he gave me a thumb's up.

"Extreme Speed!" Again I turned into a blur as I sped towards my opponent, copying my actions from before as I used a Bone Rush to avoid the Grass Knot, only to be knocked from the air by a Razor Leaf, which hit me full force since I had no way to dodge it. I landed on my feet before falling to a knee, pulling a razor sharp leaf that had embedded itself right in my abdomen. I growled and charged towards the flycatcher Pokémon with a Force Palm. Lucky for me, the Pokémon had landed mere inches from where I had stood, probably expecting me to be stunned from the attack. Instead, it found itself flying back from a hard hit between its eyes with me following close behind it. Despite losing most of its power, my close combat skills still pack quite a punch, literally. Couple that with the occasional Blaze Kick, and that plant went down in no time. Then, with one last Blaze Kick, the thing flew back, not getting back up again.

"Weepinbell, return" Ramos said and returned the Pokémon to its Pokéball after seeing it was not going to get up anytime soon. He congratulated it on a hard fought battle before giving me and Caleb another one of his prize winning smiles. "Very impressive indeed, you beat two of my Pokémon without really breaking much of a sweat. I see that you and your Pokémon share a strong bond from how well you communicate and follow through with your orders. But let's see how well you do against my last Pokémon. Gogoat, come on out."

Now I was staring right at the same Pokémon that I had seen Ramos riding the day before. Our eyes locked and I knelt down to bow to the older Pokémon before walking back to my trainer after he recalled me.

"Great job Aaron, but I think it's time for Lilly to take over" he said with a pat to my head before tossing a ball into the air, releasing the fiery Braixen, pun not intended.

"My turn" she smirked and twirled her blazing branch around and pointing the flame towards the mount Pokémon. The Gogoat smiled and looked back at its trainer confidently.

"This is going to be fun, don't you think?" Ramos asked, smiling back at his partner. Gogoat nodded and turned back to the fox Pokémon before finally starting off the battle. "Now if you don't mind, I think will make the first move. Gogoat, use Razor Leaf!"

"Flamethrower!" Caleb ordered back and made Lilly counter the storm of leaves with her flames.

"Now use Quick Attack!"

"Grass Knot!" I pretty much already knew that strategy flew out the window as I watched the fox fall flat on her face like I did after being tripped up by the root. Caleb growled in frustration along with Lilly as they both glared at the root before launching a Psyshock in retaliation. Her opponent easily dodged and sent another Razor Leaf her way, but instead of aiming for her, it was aiming for the ground right in front of her. This resulted in a lot of dirt getting kicked up and blinding her with a makeshift Sand Attack.

She was left open to the next attack as, in her blinded state, she was unable to see the vine wrap around her abdomen and toss her into the air effortlessly and bring her back to the ground very hard. I cringed at the sight of my mate being hurt, but I wasn't worried. She wouldn't be brought down so easily and proved it by shooting out of the cloud and hitting the enemy with a Quick Attack and a Fire Blast at point blank range. The dealt an enormous amount of damage seeing as the attack was one of the most powerful fire type moves out there and its typing doubled the damage.

'How is that thing still standing?' I thought while watching the thing struggle for a minute before rising back to its hooves. I have to give it props for its resilience, able to actually keep battling after taking that much damage at once.

"Quick Gogoat, use Leech Seed" Ramos ordered, making Gogoat launch out several seeds around the fire type that instantly sprouted and spread all over her before she had time to react. The plants started to glow a soft green light as Lilly grunted, feeling her energy being sapped away.

"Oh no you don't, Lilly, use Flamethrower on yourself!" She did just that, twirling her stick around before directing the tip at herself, unleashing a torrent of flames that turned the roots to ashes. "Now use Psyshock!"

"Dodge it!" dodge it, he did not. The damage he had already taken he weakened his resolve, thus decreasing his speed. This meant that it couldn't move as effectively as before, making it an easy target for the powerful psychic type move.

"Gogoat!" Ramos yelled again after his beloved Pokémon was hit once again. His worry seemed to be misplaced though since the Pokémon still got back up.

'Things built like a freaking tank' I thought as I watched it fire another barrage of leaves at the fire type. The attack still hit her pretty hard and did a good amount of damage, despite her type advantage. The simple fact that she cringed in pain was a good enough testament to its strength, but sometimes strength doesn't cut it. This fact was proven when Ramos' last Pokémon finally fell after taking another Fire Blast and Flamethrower, the grass type unable to outlast the onslaught of fire.

"Awesome job Lilly!" Caleb shouted after finally coming down from his state of shock after beating the gym leader in a perfect match. This has never happened before and the simple fact that he beat one of the gym leaders, some of the best trainers around, without losing a single battle was quite an accomplishment.

"Indeed, you did wonderful dear." I smiled and opened my arms wide, accepting the hug she had offered me. She smiled back and gave me a light peck on the lips before turning her attention to Ramos, who had walked over in front of Caleb, offering him a handshake.

"That was a superb battle friend. You beat me and made it look easy, I knew you must have been a strong trainer, but you done blown my expectations out of the water" Ramos said while shaking my trainers hand.

"Well, I can't take all of the credit here, my Pokémon do most of the work, I'm just here for support." Caleb replied while rubbing the back of his head.

' _Don't belittle your importance Caleb. Without you, we would be totally lost out there'_ I told him after wrapping an arm around his waist and nuzzling him affectionately.

"Seems your Pokémon think otherwise, or at least Aaron does. A trainers role is very important to a Pokémon during battle. Without a trainer leading them in tht right direction, they'd just be running around all willy-nilly. Trainers are support and superiors to their team. Now this doesn't mean that you should treat your Pokémon like they don't matter, they are just as important as you and I. What I mean is, the trainer must lead and teach the Pokémon and the Pokémon must rely on their trainer for that guidance, always remember that'" Ramos said with his saintly wisdom that is only achieved through age and experience.

"Right, thank you Mr. Ramos" Caleb said and bowed to the man, me doing the same.

"Its not a problem, now to commemorate your flawless victory against the Coumarine City gym, I'd like to present you with this Plant badge" he said and pulled out one of the small metal badges from his overall pockets, handing it over to Caleb. He happily accepted it and held it up for us to see the small, leaf shaped object that proved we had beaten the gym.

"Sweet, that means were halfway there you guys. Four more and we'll finally get to challenge the Pokémon League." Caleb looked absolutely ecstatic from this fact and even picked up me and Lilly in a big hug, suddenly gaining a large boost in his strength.

"Ow, ow, ow!" he cried and dropped both of us, holding on to his side like it was in extreme pain. I gave him a deadpanned expression and pointed to my chest spike, wordlessly telling him to pay more attention next time. "Right...well let's go on and get out of here, I want to celebrate."

' _Music to my ears'_ I said in agreement before following Caleb out the door after bowing to Ramos once again. I noticed Caleb's mood instantly drop when he realized that he had to climb down all over again. Oh wait, never mind, there's an elevator down...REALLY!

I couldn't help but growl at the sight of the elevator. Wouldn't that have been better located on the bottom instead of making us climb all the way up here.

"Relax bud, don't let it bother you" Caleb said and placed a hand on my head, scratching behind my ears to calm me. This, coupled with the feeling of Lilly's fuzzy body hugging onto mine, appeased my annoyance and helped me relax. Then I remembered other ways to relax and have a good time celebrating.

' _Caleb, how old are you?"_ I asked, already forming a plan for tonight.

"Seventeen" he answered, eyeing my curiously.

' _What's the legal drinking age in Kalos?'_

"Sixteen." I smiled after hearing this and looked between my trainer and Lilly, then looked forward with a large grin.

'Tonight is going to be soooo, much fun."

 **Remember to click that fave button or send me those reviews.**

 **By the way, sorry if I sound like I'm repeat myself in battle scenes, I never was good at writing them.**

 **Farväl mina vänner**


	29. Chapter 29

**Its official everyone, I'm now a college student, yaaaay...freaking kill me. Sorry if I'm making y'all wait for the next chapters, me and my roommate split our cash to finally become part of the modern world and get a PS4. I'll still write, just maybe not as much, I don't know, depends on my mood.**

 **Until then, here you go, enjoy.**

* * *

"Uh, my head" I groaned and held a paw over my aching skull. I took another sip of my little hangover cure, to which I will never reveal the recipe, and laid my head back down on the pillow. Last night was fun like I said it would be, alcohol was involved so it was definitely a party. The drawback, half of us were nursing hangovers and other injuries we mysteriously acquired.

"Your head hurts, but your not the one with the migraine and the scorch marks" Lee growled and dabbed another drop of aloe on his burnt chest.

"Whatever you did to get it, you probably deserved it" I laughed at his whining, instantly regretting it as the pain in my head doubled for a minute. Lee laughed back at me before doing the exact same thing.

All in all, we were all miserable. All except Lilly who had not touched a drop of the devils nectar all night, which I was very grateful for right now. If she had drank anything, then she wouldn't have been right by my side with a bottle of painkillers and a look on her face that yelled 'I told you so', which at some point last night she earned that look. She warned me about downing too many drinks, but I still got completely hammered.

"Are you feeling okay hon?" She asked, that look still plastered on her face. I grunted and leaned my head to rest on her shoulder.

"All I have to say is, you were right, and I'm sorry" I apologized and buried my eyes in her neck, trying to block out the lights as they drilled into my eyes. The feeling was strangely reminiscent of my first day here, back in that Pokémon center.

"Its alright sweetheart, long as you learned your lesson" she smiled at me and nuzzled my head with a purr. I smiled and nuzzled her back before wrapping my arms around her in an affectionate hug. Her warm, fuzzy body plenty of distraction from the pain running through me, I almost felt sorry for the others. Then again, only Lee, Sensei, all of the trainers, and I were dumb enough to drink till were drunk. The only one of the humans that didn't drink was Ashley, meaning that every male in the group was basically incapacitated from the alcohol.

"Will all of you please stop talking" Caleb whined and covered his head with a pillow, trying to block us out and ease his pain.

' _I'm in no-_ son of a whore that hurts!" I shouted, going back to my words after that attempt at telepathy. Note to self, never try and communicate with a hangover.

"Easy sweetheart, don't put yourself in worse pain" Lilly advised and laid me out on the bed, handing me my hangover cure that didn't seem to be doing its job today.

"Easy for you to say love, your not the one that drank six bottles of Jack." It was worth the pain afterwards though. I still couldn't believe they had Jack Daniels here, and as soon as I got that first swig, I was in heaven.

"You did that of your own volition, no one forced you to drink so much of it" Yuki said, deciding to add her two cents after coming over to check on me after she had taken care of Axel.

"Well I'm sorry that I like to have a little fun every once in a while." She raised a brow and looked over to all of the bottles and cans we had left after the party last night...it was not a flattering sight. "Okay, we might have gone a little overboard."

"A little, no, a little is one or two cans, you had enough drinks to put a full grown man in the grave. Thank goodness your body is more resistant to alcohol poisoning than other humans, or you'd be dead."

"Come on Lilly, don't you think that's going a bit overboard in your assumption." She just gave me a deadpan look.

"Okay, moving on" I nervously stated, not wanting to get a lecture from an irate Braixen.

"Seriously, can you all please shut up!" Caleb yelled again before popping in another one of his mystery pills. I had to hold another chuckle to keep my headache down, but that's when I realized it was finally gone.

"What the?" I muttered and put a paw to my head to make sure I wasn't going numb or something. I felt my paw on my head, and nothing else. There was no pain anymore, it was finally gone.

"Your welcome" I heard and looked up to see Eva looking down at me with a smirk.

"Did you do this?" I asked, referring to my hangover. She nodded happily and pointed towards Lilly.

"She asked me to, she felt like you learned your lesson so I cured you with a Heal Pulse." I looked between her and the fox at my side before leaping up and snatching them both into a hug.

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" I practically shouted, receiving a pill bottle to my forehead. I blinked in surprise and looked over at Caleb as he glared daggers back at me. I gave him a sheepish smile and lowered myself down to try and avoid his gaze.

"Don't worry, he'll feel better in a moment." With that being said, Eva had began going around and healing us all of our pains, only to be added back on once the rest of the girls went about lecturing us on moderation. It finally ended when Ashley received a phone call and left the room to speak to the other person in private. That became the topic if discussions since there was little else to do right now. I didn't really care enough about it to pay attention though, so I kind of just looked around the room and eventually out the window.

With no real danger of repercussion from revealing sunlight to drunkard's, I opened up the blinds and window, letting in some fresh air to replace the smell of barf and shame. Why shame you might ask, simple. We were drunk...that's all you need to know.

I smiled as the cool evening breeze blew through my fur and brought in the smell of a city coming to life. Not the smell of car engines or any unpleasant smells you would expect from a city, no, this was the scent of a town that respected nature. Fresh grass, delicious foods of all kinds, and so many other scents assaulted my nostrils, making me even more relaxed than I already was.

' _I'm heading out for a bit'_ I told everyone and leapt out the window to the streets below. I heard Caleb tell me to be back in ten minutes to leave town before I sprinted off down the road. I leapt onto the roof of a building that was a good couple blocks from the center and scouted out the area, looking for anything interesting enough to entertain me. I was pleasantly surprised to catch sight of a familiar figure not far from me and leapt from building to building till they were right below me.

"Surprise!" I shouted right before I landed in front of the kid I saw a few days ago. He looked about ready to pee his pants after I apparently scared him enough to let put a very girlish scream. I laughed my butt off at his expense while he had his eyes closed in fear of me. "Come on kid, no need to be so scared."

He looked up after hearing me say this, more or less, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Lucario!" he cried and tackled me into a hug. I grinned and patted his back.

"So you do remember me." He looked down at me with a bright smile and backed off to give me some space before reaching out to pet my head.

"It's so good to see you again, I never truly got to thank you for helping me the other day." I waved off his thanks and gestured to his arms. "Huh, what are you trying to say?"

I grabbed both his arms and pulled them in front of his chest like he was carrying something. He stood there confused for a second or two before a look of realization donned his features.

"Oh, you want to know what happened to Zorua?" I nodded. "She's right here" he said and pulled a Pokéball from his belt. He tapped the button and out came the Zorua he had in his arms that day. She looked around for a minute before locking eyes with me and suddenly tackling me, nuzzling her head into my chest while I held her in my arms.

"Whoa, I see someone's feeling better" I chuckled and patted her head. She smiled back and nodded before picking herself up and placing her forepaws on my chest, giving me a small lick under my chin.

"Thank you for saving Zack, Mr. Lucario" she said and nuzzled my chin.

"Zack?" I questions, receiving a nod from her.

"My trainer." So his name was Zack huh, good too know.

I let her shower me with her appreciative affection for a little longer before handing her over to the boy. He took her immediately and hugged her close to him, smiling and giggling as she licked and nuzzled him. I smiled at the sight of the bond the two shared, despite having been together for, most likely, a few days.

"Good too see your both alright, just thought I'd drop by and see how y'all were doing" I said, causing them both to turn their attention to me. I knew that only one of them would actually have been able to understand me, so I did a little wave to try and make the human understand.

"Oh, you have to leave so soon?" he asked, looking a little crestfallen from this information. I nodded and started walking backwards while waving to the both of them.

"Sorry bud, just wanted to look around a bit more before I have to leave the city. I got to get back to my trainer" I told him, hoping he would have gotten the gist of what I said. He frowned and waved back along with his partner.

"Will we see you again?" Zorua asked, to which I nodded.

"No doubt, the worlds a small place, we'll see each other again" I said confidently, making her smile and nuzzle my leg. I bent down and gave her a small pat on the head before offering another wave to her trainer. "Till next time, stay safe, the both of you."

With that said, I took my leave. I waved one last time before leaping up onto the nearest building and smiling down at them. They both looked up at me in aww at my jumping ability, probably never seeing anything able to leap buildings effortlessly. I offered them a wink and backed away from the edge, away from their view.

"Let's see, how much time do I have?" I asked myself as I looked up at the sun, determining that I had already been gone for about eight minutes, giving me at least two to get back.

'Easy' I thought before leaping off the building and sprinting across the streets towards the Pokémon center.

* * *

"Do you really have to leave?" Caleb asked sadly. I had gotten here right as this was said, so I was naturally caught off guard, especially since he was speaking to both Ashley and Axel.

"I'm afraid so, I wanted to meet a few friends back in Vaniville while there still there." I looked at her like she was crazy. Vaniville town would take at least a week to reach on foot, and after we came so far, she wants to go back.

' _Uh, what's going on here?'_ I asked, acting like I hadn't overheard that part of their conversation.

"Ashley want's to go back to Vaniville and meet her friends" Caleb told me.

"They just flew in from Johto a few hours ago. Mom and dad told me they wanted to start their journey here in Kalos since I was here" she added. I tilted my head questioningly.

' _Why would you be friends with them if they were from another region? Have you visited Johto before?'_

"No, we all met in summer camp back in Unova, I've never actually been to Johto." I nodded and turned back to Axel.

' _Are you going as well?'_ The boy nodded and wrapped an arm around Ashley's shoulders.

"Of course, no offence to any of you, but if I had to choose between you lot and her, it wouldn't have been a hard decision" he chuckled. I raised a brow at him before nodding and finally resting my eyes on my trainer.

' _What about us, what's the plan?'_ He shrugged and pulled out his Pokédex.

"Still the same as it has been, we keep moving forward through Kalos, even if it will be a bit more lonely" he told me, looking a little depressed from them loss of his traveling partners. I grinned and wrapped an arm around his waist.

' _Come on now Caleb, you still got me, we can have plenty of fun without them'_ I told him, giving him a subtle wink. His bad mood instantly changed as his face went red from embarrassment.

"Caleb, why are you blushing?" Axel asked, only making my trainer blush harder. I was dying inside from the amount of laughter I had to hold back, but kept my cool so they would never suspect a thing.

"Its just the heat" he answered lamely, probably saying the first excuse that came to mind. It seemed to work with them cause no more questions were asked. Only a few goodbye's were exchanged before we all went our separate ways. Ashley and Axel headed off to Vaniville town while Caleb and I, after returning the rest of the team, walked the streets of Coumarine City, stocking up on anything we may have needed.

' _Think you should have done this before today?'_ I asked my trainer, stressing the before to try and get a point across. He gave me a sheepish smile and went back to picking out his items, not really giving me a response. _'So where to next?'_

"No where, were going off into the woods for a few days to train before doubling back and challenging the Lumiose City gym" he answered. I was surprised that he didn't want to either head back with Ashley and Axel, or just keep going ahead and challenging the next town. Then again, for all I knew, Lumiose was the next town. I wasn't too familiar with the layout of the region so I just let Caleb do all the traveling plans.

' _Sounds good, how long we training?'_

"Maybe about a week, we don't really have any advantages there so I wanted to make sure were ready. Mostly just to get the rest of the team in better shape for battle since you and Lilly are already strong enough."

' _Speaking of battles, who are you going to use during the gym battle?'_ I asked this because I wanted to see if he'd change it up. I wasn't complaining, but I had think it was a little unfair to the others since he really only used me and Lilly.

"The plan it to use Lee, Yuki, and Kaen. I wanted to give you and Lilly a break after basically carrying me this far." I swear it was like this boy was reading my mind sometimes.

' _Sound good master'_ I said, receiving an immediate glare. I remembered what he said and offered him an apologetic smile. He shook his head and walked up to the counter where a young lady about the same age as Caleb stood, offering us a polite smile as we stepped up to the counter.

"Hello there, will that be all for you?" she asked after scanning in all the items.

"Yes ma'am" he responded and handed her the money for the supplies. "Here, hold this for me buddy."

I did as asked and held the bag and receipt as Caleb dug through the purchased supplies, taking them and stuffing them into their proper compartment's. While he did this, I investigated the receipt since I had nothing else to do.

'Well hello' I thought, spotting a phone number on the back of the receipt. I wonder when she wrote the down, I didn't even know she had a pen.

"Thanks bud." I felt the bag leave my grasp, but I kept the receipt close to my person. He tried to take it from me, but I just held him back with a paw while I laughed at his predicament. The girl must have thought it was cute since she was laughing along with me. He glared at me after finally giving up, to which I handed him the receipt while pointing to the back.

' _You can call her later Casanova, said it yourself, we need to go'_ I said, practically dragging me dumbstruck trainer out the door. He regained his senses soon after leaving the building and starred at the phone number before a wide smile graced his lips.

"Man, am I just that good looking?" he laughed with a proud look on his face. I smirked and wrapped an arm around his waist with my tail wrapped around his leg.

' _Oh yes, you are quite handsome if I may say so myself'_ I purred and nuzzled his side. I was expecting him to push me away in embarrassment, but to my surprise he threw his arm around my shoulder and scratched behind my ears.

"Thanks buddy, you don't look half bad yourself." To say I was surprised would have been an understatement. I was completely caught off guard by his response and stared up at him wordlessly. He laughed as soon as he saw my face making me tilt my head questioningly. "Payback tastes so sweet."

I blinked, still slightly surprised, before I gave him a devious smirk.

' _Well played, guess I gotta up my game.'_ His laughter died quickly as he looked at me in minor terror.

"What have I done, I've unleased a monster!" he shouted to the heavens and ran away from me in fear. I raised a brow and chuckled at his antics before following after him towards our next destination.

* * *

 **Did I surprise y'all? Did you ever think to see that coming?**

 **I hope I caught all of you off guard with this one, in a good way of course, especially since I'm trying out a few new things to keep this story interesting for me as well as y'all. Not sure when the next chapter will be up, sorry if in getting erratic with the updates by the way.**

 **Till next we meet,** **Au revoir mes amis**


	30. Chapter 30

**Hey y'all, sorry about the wait on this one. I wanted to get this up a few days ago, but I'm having to work a lot of overtime to pay the rent and get my tuition in order. I know I've said this before plenty of times, but I'm afraid this time is where I'm going to be forced to hold back. I apologize for the infrequent or random updates. I am trying, I promise I am.**

 **I'll get the next chapter up as soon as possible, just wish I could tell you when that is.**

* * *

"Nope" I said as I dodged an incoming Psycho Cut thrown by Yuki, who was now getting more and more frustrated from my constant taunts. She growled and threw another at me, to which I easily sidestepped.

"Not quite" Her annoyance and anger was steadily increasing after each failed hit. This led her to attack me with increased ferocity. I could barely keep up with my dodging at first, but now it was just way to easy.

"Come on, are you even trying?" I laughed after flipping over her attempted Night Slash and tapping a pressure point on the back of her neck. She went rigid and provided me suitable entertainment as I gently tapped her side, letting her fall onto her side, still frozen.

'Well, she's done, wonder how Lilly's doing' I thought and looked on the other side of the clearing where the Braixen had Lee in a headlock while he struggled in her grip. I sweat dropped and watched the spectacle with my head tilted in mild amusement.

"Why do I keep making them spar with each other?" I heard Caleb ask as he stepped up to check on Yuki.

' _No idea...it is pretty funny though'_ I said with a smirk while I kept watching the fox and emotion Pokémon go at it. Well, really one going at it while the other struggled just to stay awake.

"Come on, uncle, uncle!" Lee cried and tapped Lilly's arm repeatedly, begging for mercy. She laughed at his predicament, along with basically everyone as they watched him continue to struggle until he fell asleep in her hold.

"Okay, not a headlock, a chokehold...ouch." I do remember being put in one of those before, and it hurts like a bitch. I was pretty much required to go and make sure that he wasn't injured after Lilly had released him, letting him fall to the ground in an unconscious heap.

I knelt down beside him, doing the mandatory check of his pulse, but I mostly paid attention to his breathing. It sounded normal, if not a little raspy, a side effect of the choking.

"Well, least you didn't permanently damage his airway" I said and stood back up with Lee in my arms. I waved down Caleb and threw him the Kirlia, right before I was hit by a very painful burst of fire on my back.

"Come on daddy, its time to train!" I heard Kaen yell and I turned around, ducking quickly to avoid another stream of fire.

"Hey, watch the flames girly, them things hurt" I told her while rubbing my scorched back. I kind of wish I never evolved at moments like this, cause fire hurts ten times worse than it did back when I was a Riolu.

"Oh come on, it couldn't have hurt that much" she replied before throwing even more fire my way. I was actually able to see this one coming though and used a Bone Rush to absorb the attack. I instantly regretted that decision, cause now I was twirling around a flaming staff, and I was not a fire juggler. I quickly threw it out in the air in my panic and it exploded soon after in a burst of blue and orange light like a firework.

"Pretty" Lilly said while she stared up at it. I looked between all of them, seeing nothing but their faces turned to the sky, even after the lights faded. I raised a brow and waved a paw in front of Lilly's face, drawing her attention back to me.

"Okay, what's wrong with y'all?" I asked them, wondering why they all just zoned out on me.

"What do you mean, nothings wrong" she said, confused at my question. I stared at her blankly before dropping the matter altogether and retreating into the woods for my daily meditation. I shook my head with a sigh, wondering why these people and Pokémon were so strange and oblivious to their own behavior.

"Don't worry about it for now, not worth the headache" I told myself and continued walking. Guess I should probably tell y'all what's going on in this little section of my strange life. I'll start off with telling you that Caleb followed through with his plan and, as a consequence, we've been spending our time out in these no named woods for the last week and a half. During this time, me and Lilly have either been off on our own training or helping the others with theirs. This is because he was also serious about leaving me and Lilly out of this upcoming gym battle. I personally thought it was just a little stupid to do this since I was the only one who knew a move that was super effective against electric types, which this next gym leader was very fond of. I wasn't gonna question the man though and simply sat back and watched him try to train everyone at once, it was quite amusing.

I still wasn't one hundred percent sure I wanted my little girl to be battling, but she proved herself already in the last battle, and she had already grown five of her tails so she was almost a fully grown Vulpix. At least I think she was, I keep forgetting if Vulpix mature when they hit six tails, or are they supposed to have nine like their evolutionary form.

Speaking of her evolutionary form, I wondered how long it would take her to evolve. I honestly didn't want her to evolve for a long time since that means I would have lost my little baby.

I blinked when I realized that I had just thought that. I sounded like a freaking mother, I meant I would have lost my baby girl. There we go, much better, now I can retain my manhood.

"Wait, what did I come out here for again?" I asked myself, seriously forgetting what I had originally came into this forest for. That's when I noticed I was in a large clearing with a small pond in the middle. It looked untouched by human hands, letting it retain its natural beauty. It was really quite peaceful and quiet, and then I remembered my purpose for coming into these woods, so I took my respective position in front of the pond.

"Block out the world, focus on the aura" I told myself, letting my breath regulate itself on its own. I felt my aura sensors rise up as my eyes closed, letting me see the world through the eyes of a Lucario.

The world that surrounded me now was nothing but a pure blue as I saw the energy of every living thing around me. It was very peaceful in a sense, being able to just relax and take in the serenity of the aura around me.

That's what I loved about plants now. They never hate, they never anger, they never do anything, rendering their aura a calming neutral. People and Pokémon were unpredictable with their emotions, which honestly stressed out my system.

Speaking of stressful emotions, I felt something very out of placed after about an hour of being out here. I felt a very sinister aura signature slowly creeping up on me. I pretended I didn't notice the owner and remained stock still while I watched them keep walking towards me, only for them to stop on the edge of the clearing. I felt the fur on my back bristle as I had to hold back an instinctive snarl.

It was pretty creepy really, the lone figure simply sitting there staring at me. It made my skin crawl and after about ten minutes of them doing nothing, I decided to make the first move.

I rose to my feet in a leisurely fashion, still keeping a close 'eye' on my visitor. I felt their aura lurch as they stiffened up in preparation for something. That's when another aura signature appeared beside him. This one seemed much more aggressive as it grew to its full height, which was almost two heads taller than the other.

"Earthquake!" my eyes shot open and I leapt onto the nearest tree branch to avoid the attack. I locked my eyes on the perpetrators positon and narrowed my eyes.

' _Show yourself!'_ I yelled at them, prompting my attackers to sneak out from the woods and into the clearing. I gritted my teeth when I saw a man come out with none other than the ground dragon itself, a Garchomp.

"Ah, I was hoping this would have been an easy catch" the man said in disappointment, but still held a smirk as he looked at me confidently.

" _And who might you be?'_ I asked him, making his smile grow even wider.

"A telepathic huh, great, now you'll go for double the price" he happily stated and clapped his hands together. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he was most likely a Pokémon hunter. I might not know much about this world as I would like, but I still knew that these people were bad news.

' _Great, another moron ambushes me, can't I meditate in peace for once'_ I sighed, letting him hear this thought. I mentally smirked when I saw his eye twitch ever so slightly, probably cause he had a short temper, that or he wasn't used to being insulted by super powered animals.

"Your lucky I need to capture you alive, cause I've killed men for less than that" he said and crossed his arms while glaring at me.

' _Wow, ain't never heard that one before, why don't you come up with something more original you little twat."_ Okay, now it was just getting a little fun. The guy looked like he was already losing his cool. If I can just keep egging him on, then maybe, just maybe, I can get him to scream. I know it doesn't seem like much, but if I can annoy you enough to actually scream, then I feel like I've accomplished something.

"Okay mutt, your really starting to try my patience."

' _Whoa now, no need for such coarse insults'_ I said amusedly. The guy was now visibly angry with his teeth clenched and a small growl emitted from his throat.

"What, do you really think this is funny?" I paused and put a paw to my chin, pretending to be in thought.

' _...Yes, yes I actually do.'_ I smirked and placed my paws on my sides. He was now straight up snarling at me with his hands balled up into fists.

"Alright then, you little shit, its time I knocked that smirk right off your smug little face" he growled and looked to his partner. "Garchomp, use Hyper Beam!"

"Got it boss" I heard it say before opening its jaws and forming a white ball of pure energy. I clenched my teeth and sprinted towards it, jumping up right as it let loose the attack, causing the beam to trail right under me. I grinned and reared my arm back as I fell, charging up a Force Palm in my paw. I curled it up into a fist right before making contact, causing it to increase in power and sent the giant shark dragon skidding back.

"Well, that's new" I said while looking at my paw. I remembered that move back in the Shalour gym, when I was fighting Korrina's Lucario. That was Power-Up Punch...awesome, I learned a new move.

"Earthquake!"

'Uh-oh.' I turned my attention back to Garchomp and leapt up again to avoid the move.

"Quick, use Dragon Pulse." My eyes shot open and I braced myself as the move hit my crossed arms, hurting me a little, but I shook it off and back flipped, landing back on my feet.

'I don't have time for this' I thought as I waited for an opening in the Garchomp's defense.

"Fire Fang!" Perfect. I smirked and used Extreme Speed right as the dragon type closed in, sidestepping right past it and charging towards the hunter. He never even knew what was happening until he was flying towards his Pokémon.

"WAAAH!" he screamed as he collided with his partner, catching the Garchomp off guard and sending both human and Pokémon tumbling down in a pile of limbs. I waited for both of them to get at least half way up before creating a Bone Rush and slamming the staff into the hunters stomach, sending him flying out into the air, far away from me, followed by his Garchomp after receiving a Power-Up Punch to its gut. I placed a paw on my forehead and watched the pair fly away in to the sky and disappear into the horizon.

"So long, Team Rocket" I joked, finding it amusing how much it resembled the Rocket blasting off scene from the anime, all it needed was the little blink and a star in the distance.

'I was hoping for at least some kind of challenge.' At least now I know I have to worry about hunters as well as Sunburst tracking me. No doubt that guy would want to come back to try and avenge his dignity, but if he ever wanted to hold a candle to me, then he would have to train a lot.

"What I would give for some kind of challenge or something" I muttered. I was still amazed how strong I've become in such short a time. It shouldn't have been possible for me to acclimate this quickly. In the end, I just chalked it up to pure luck, I didn't see how else it would have made sense.

'Wait, why am I questioning this, shouldn't I be happy I'm strong?' Crap, headache coming on. I really should get that checked out, I get these way to easily.

"Aaron!" I heard Lilly yell right before I was tackled to the ground with a Braixen nuzzling my back. "I heard fighting and I came as soon as I could."

"Lilly...can't...breath..." I wheezed, tapping her arms since they were wrapped around my chest just a little too tightly. She loosened her hold, but didn't even come close to releasing her grip on me.

"I was so worried...why do you always seem to attract trouble?" she snapped and slapped the back of my head with her stick.

"Ouch, easy, wasn't my fault" I replied. I could still feel her glaring at the back of my head, so I continued to explain. "I'm sorry, it was some Pokémon hunter trying to catch me, probably trying to fetch a pretty penny by selling me."

"A Pokémon hunter, I've never heard of them." I wasn't surprised, she's lived in that lab most of her life, and we've never encountered a hunter since we started this journey.

"They basically just steal Pokémon, wild or captured, and sell them to the highest bidder. Very bad people." Her hug tightened on impulse and I could feel her fidgeting and looking all around us. "Relax love, he's long gone."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive, now can you help me up, I want to get back to camp" I said, letting out a yawn. It was almost time for the sun to set, and I've been training the others all day, so I was understandably tired.

She nodded and reluctantly got off me before offering me her paw. I smiled and accepted her offer, getting back up to my feet with her assistance before she locked her arm with mine.

"You know, we don't exactly have to head back to camp right this second" she told me while lightly running a finger across my chest. I raised a brow at her with a small smirk, seeing what she was getting at.

"Oh, so you want a repeat performance beautiful?" I asked, nuzzling her ears playfully.

"Oh yes, I could never get tired of seeing at your best."

"Caleb can wait." I suddenly picked her up in my arms and sprinted away from the direction of camp, with the both of us laughing all the way

Tonight was gonna be fun.

* * *

 **I know, kind of short isn't it, sorry about that. I'm running out of inspiration as well so...yeah...**

 **Until next time,** **Vaarwel mijn vrienden**


	31. Chapter 31

**Sup y'all, sorry for the wait, I'm sure I've made It clear of the reasons for it. I also must apologize for the length, I am seriously running my time schedule on a thread and I didn't want to keep any of you waiting any longer, but I hope you enjoy nonetheless.**

* * *

"Alright, that comes up to a total of five thousand poke" the cashier told us as he bagged the items, exchanging the goods for the cash out of Caleb's hand. I immediately snatched the bag away from him and dug around, searching for the desired item.

"Oh no you don't!" Caleb said and wrestled the bag from my paws, holding it above him and out of my reach. I glared at him, trying to take it from him and very nearly punching him to get it back.

' _Come on bro, give it back!'_ I said in an annoyed tone. He wagged a finger in response and threw everything into his bag, right before taking out a small pink cube.

"I'm not letting you have the whole bag, remember what happened last time?" I pouted and lowered my head in disappointment. "You need to learn moderation, until then I decide when you get one, here's one now so you stop pouting."

I peeked up as he held the cube out for me. I smiled and took the Pokéblock from him before taking a small bite out of it, moaning as the sweetness of the treat delighted my taste buds. I wasn't proud of it, but I somehow got addicted to these little things, especially the little pink one's since they were made from pecha berries and I had quite the sweet tooth. I wasn't all that concerned with my little food craze, I'm pretty sure it was just my minds way of coping since I could no longer eat a lot of human food.

' _Okay...thanks Caleb'_ I said with a small bow. He just smiled and patted my head before hiking up his bag and leading me out of the Pokémart. I was pretty excited since today was the day we would no longer have to be camping and finally return to soft beds and warm food. I love the outdoors, but the novelty tends to wear off after awhile, especially when your bed usually consisted as a hard tree branch or the hard ground of a tent.

I did get to bond with everyone during the trip, especially Caleb. At one point I even brought up the topic of mega-evolution the day before we left. This is what helped decide our next destination. We thought that the best thing to do to learn how to mega-evolve would to learn from someone who could already do it, and better yet was one that could do it with another Lucario.

I think you can connect the dots by now.

"So, you happy to be going back?" Caleb asked. I growled a little under my breath, but masked my irritation it with an emotionless face.

' _Oh yes, simply ecstatic'_ I answered, keeping my emotions in check.

"You okay buddy?" I looked up at my trainer with a glare.

' _I'm going back into the territory of a Pokémon that has tried to rape and claim me on multiple occasions, so yes Caleb, I'm just peachy.'_ I huffed and turned my glare from Caleb to the gym in the distance. The high tide was in so there was no way to get in, but I'm pretty sure they weren't at the gym right now. They were always in town during high tide, only ever going around noon since the tide receded then, allowing their challengers to cross over.

"Listen bud, I know you and Lucario didn't exactly split on the best of terms, but we need their help, so please try and not lash out at her." I remained silent as I stared at Caleb, contemplating his request.

"Fine...but I will hurt her if she tries anything" I warned. He smiled and nodded his head before patting my head. Unfortunately, we weren't paying attention where we were going during this little exchange and ended up tripping down one of the small dirt hills that separated the beach and the town. We ended up rolling down the hill, instinctively holding onto each other, and I landed on my back in soft sand while my trainer was able to catch himself and held himself up right above me. I looked at him, trying my best to suppress my laughter from the cliché scene.

"You expecting a kiss?" I asked teasingly. He snapped back to reality after this question and was quick to get off of me, or would have if the sand hadn't moved under his palm and caused him to fall down against my chest. If I hadn't used my aura to cover it and make it blunt, he would have had a good six inches of steel through his chest.

"Am I interrupting something?" I heard a familiar voice ask. I glanced over to the side where I saw Korrina staring at us with a grin. I could hear the amusement in her voice as she watched the scene. Caleb noticed her as well and looked down at me before quickly getting off of me, actually succeeding this time.

"Oh, hey Korrina" Caleb nervously waved while I gave her a little salute after getting up onto my paws.

"Hey guys, what are you doing back here?" she asked. In response, Caleb cleared his throat and stood up straight and dug around in his pocket. Korrina nearly chocked when she saw the megastone in his hand and promptly snatched it from him, examining it very closely. "I don't believe it...another Lucarionite" she muttered and slowly gave it back to Caleb, never truly taking her eyes off of it.

"We wanted to ask you about mega-evolution" he said, plain and simple. She looked surprised from his request, but a smile soon replaced it as she regarded us with unparalleled enthusiasm.

"Really, you mean it?" We both gave her an affirmative nod and I had to cover my ears from the uncharacteristic scream that came from her. Me and Caleb stared at her with our eyes wide before looking to each other, then at her again, then back at each other.

' _Well...that happened'_ I said then looked at her again, right before I noticed something missing. Something black, blue, yellow, and very annoying. Right as I realized that, I felt a presence right behind me and I instinctively reached behind me, grabbing whatever it was behind me, and throwing them over my shoulder. Surprise, surprise, it was none other than Lucario herself.

"Ouch, that was a little uncalled for" she said with a grin, obviously impressed by my reaction time. I just glared down at her and took a step closer to my trainer, confident she wouldn't try anything on me around him. "What, no response, no witty remark, I guess I must be growing on you."

"I'm warning you now, stop while you still have all of your limbs." She giggled at my threat and took a defiant step towards me.

"Pretty big words there love, think you can back them up" I held a paw up near my face and began counting backwards from three. She eyes me curiously until I reached one, that's when she found herself on the ground with a snarling Braixen on her stomach and a flame to her throat.

"You stay away from my mate you little tramp!" Lilly growled down to the now terrified Lucario.

"Not me you gotta worry about" I smirked and lifted an arm up for Lilly as she released Lucario and took her place by my side. The trainers watched this little exchange in amusement, Korrina even openly laughing at her partner.

"Sorry Lucario, looks like he's the one who got away" she said and helped her Pokémon up off the ground, offering her a small head pat. Lucario just pouted, but didn't lose that determined fire in her eyes. With Lilly by my side though, I had no reason for concern.

' _Back to the topic at hand'_ I stated, catching everyone's attention. I held a paw out towards Caleb, asking him for the megastone, which he readily gave me. I held the little stone between all of us and looked Korrina dead in the eye. _'We want to learn how to mega-evolve.'_

"You what!" Lucario shouted, shocked from this new information. I paid her no mind, simply keeping my eyes on Korrina as I kneeled and bowed my head to her.

' _If there is anything you may teach us about mega-evolution, please show us'_ I pleaded, not taking my eyes off the ground until I felt a gloved hand land on my head. I looked up at the gym leader with begging eyes, giving her the best puppy dog look I could possibly muster.

"Aaron..." she started with a wide smile on her face. I could feel the excitement in her aura and I nearly jumped up to hug her before she even finished her sentence. "Of course I can teach you, that's a gym leaders job right, to help trainers and their Pokémon grow stronger."

I smiled and happily nodded, receiving another scratch behind the ear. I looked back Caleb and gave him a thumbs up and a cheeky smile. He just raised a brow and smiled back, offering his hand to me. I reached up and slapped his hand with my paw, both of us celebrating. Korrina giggled at the show and wrapped an arm around Lucario.

"Yep, me and Lucario here would be more than happy to teach you." Lucario readily agreed, but that look in her eye still unnerved me. I knew she was going to keep trying, no matter what anyone said, but I had a very possessive fox glued to my side so she should back off for now.

"Thank you Korrina, we really appreciate it." I nodded in agreement and gave her a small bow. She just waved off our thanks and smiled down at us.

"No need to thank me, I've honestly been wanting to teach people and their partners how to use mega-evolution. If you have to though, consider it as a late gift from me to you after your victory against me."

"Alright...when can we start?" Caleb asked, his voice reflecting his excitement. Korrina smiled and patted the boys shoulder.

"Not today, its getting late and I need to be heading back to the gym, I'll introduce you to my grandfather, he's just been dying to meet you."

"Meet me?" Caleb asked, surprised that Korrina's grandfather actually even knew him.

"Well, he might be a little more interested in your Lucario than you" she answered, making my ears perk up.

' _Why would he be interested in me?'_ I wondered what she had been telling her grandfather that would have made him want to meet me.

"Simple, you and Caleb beat my Lucario when she was mega-evolved, and you beat us fast, that's not exactly easy to do. Its only natural that you would gain his attention." I nodded in understanding before looking up at my trainer. I couldn't help but chuckle at the face he was making.

'He has that look in his eye' I thought while reading his aura, seeing a bright pink color enveloping him. It didn't take a genius to figure out what that was, especially since I see it on Lucario every time she so much as glances in my direction.

' _Say the word, I can make it happen buddy'_ I said and nudged his side teasingly. His face exploded into a bright red, making me nearly lose control of myself, this boy got embarrassed way too easily, and I loved it.

"Okay, well why don't you two go ahead and go back to the tower, I wanted to let these two relax on the beach for awhile" he said, clapping his hands right about in the middle of his sentence.

' _So we can relax...or so he can relax?"_ I smirked, getting a death glare from the guy. I just gave him a cheeky smile and stuck my tongue out at him before lightly pulling on Lilly, asking her to come with me.

"Don't turn the beach to glass again Lilly" Caleb called out to her, making the fox blush in embarrassment. She couldn't say anything in her defense though, cause you can't turn thirty yards of sand to glass on a dare, courtesy of Lee, and not expect to get teased about it now and again.

"Are you guys ever going to let me live that down?" she whined, hiding her face in my chest.

"Nope, but don't feel bad about it, I love fire, but not nearly as much as I love my little pyromaniac.

"You like fire?" she asked, sounding surprised. I could understand her surprise though, seeing as fire is one of my type disadvantages.

"Of course, I've always liked fire, no it isn't only because you're a fire type." She smiled and nuzzled my neck, not saying anything else until our paws touched the sand. She still stayed silent after we reached the shoreline, simply staring at the light coming from the setting sun.

"...No matter how many times I've seen it...I can never tire of sight of the sun over the sea...there truly isn't anything more beautiful in the world." I raised a brow and looked down at her.

"I can think of something that could prove you wrong" I said and nuzzled her between her large fluffy ears. She giggled and nuzzled me back, playfully nipping at my neck. "Come on now sweetheart, were in public."

"So, we could give them quite a show" she whispered in my ear, adding a small lick right behind it, sending a shiver down my spine. It took all my willpower to push her away from her seductive teasing.

"Not here, but in the tower..." I leaned down and put my muzzle a mere inch from mine. "We can do whatever we like" I finished, adding a small kiss before picking her up bridal style and sprinted towards the tower, ready for another night of fun.

* * *

 **It official, I've given in to the perverted side of my brain, maybe I should start making M-rated off shots. If you're a pervert and a furry like me(Judge me all you want, I'm proud of who I am) then you might have something to look forward to, all depends on how I'm feeling.**

 **Till next time, paalam aking mga kaibigan**


	32. Chapter 32

**Finally got another one done, which is pretty impressive to me. I can't stop apologizing for the wait, but I'm barely averaging 500 words a day with my schedule. But It's done, and I'm actually somewhat satisfied. So here's chapter 32 after long last, please enjoy.**

* * *

'My God, his eyebrows are magnificent' I mentally giggled as I played with Gurkinn's eyebrows while he and my trainer talked. I thought the man would have gotten annoyed by my actions, but he actually seemed to find this amusing.

"Your Lucario seems to be quite playful" he said after I batted his eyebrow one last time, then took a seat by Caleb. He laughed and patted my head.

"Yeah, it makes him a handful sometimes, but he's a good guy." I raised a brow and gave him a questioning glance.

' _When have I ever been a handful?'_ he just looked back at me with a deadpan expression. I just smirked back at him and crossed my arms.

"And he seems confident in himself" Gurkinn added, breaking us from our sudden staring contest. I turned my attention to the mega-evolution guru and smirked, cracking my neck and paws, then giving him a wink. "Indeed, very confident."

"Well he kind of earned that confidence after all we've done." Gurkinn nodded, an amused smile adorning his face.

"Yes, I heard you beat my granddaughter and her Lucario quite easily, is this true?" Caleb gave him an uneasy smile and rubbed his head.

"I wouldn't say it was easy." I nodded and rubbed my arm at the thought. I'm not sure what Korrina has been telling him, but that battle, while fast, was in no way easy. I felt the effect of that battle for at least a week.

"Modest, the both of you, I like you two already" Gurkinn smiled and rose from his chair and looked down at us. "Would the both of you like to meet my partner?"

"Of course, I'm always in the mood to meet new Pokémon" Caleb excitedly stated like a little child, making me sweatdrop. I felt bad for the kid since it was probably going to be another Lucario, but I really don't think it mattered to him.

'Please don't be crazy, please don't be crazy' I mentally begged and watched Gurkinn take a Pokéball from his belt and hold it out in front of him

"Lucario, come out" he ordered, followed by a bright light appearing from the ball and forming into the figure of a Lucario. This one looked slightly bigger than Korrina's, so I guessed it to be male.

"Do you have need of me master?" it asked in a male voice, confirming my assumption. Gurkinn gestured to the both of us, prompting the Lucario to turn back to us, eyes widening when they landed on me. He seemed to ignore my trainer altogether and stepped closer to me, circling me. I watched him with my eyes as he kept examining me, studying him right back.

"Spikes at about six inches, fur is still shiny and muscles are toned" I heard him mutter before he stopped his circling and suddenly took my muzzle in his paw, moving my head around. I immediately attacked him out of surprise, sending him stumbling back from the force of the punch. I backed up next to Caleb and got into a defensive stance while I glared at Lucario.

"There's something called personal space bro!" I growled, not caring that he might just be stronger than me. He coughed a bit more and took deep breaths to try and get the air back in his lungs.

"Strength is exceptional" Lucario added quietly before returning to his full height, which was only about an inch taller than me. He made to move towards me again, receiving a low growl and a glare from me. He held his hands up placatingly while Caleb placed a hand on my head, rubbing behind my ears to help calm me down.

"Easy buddy, no call for that" my trainer told me, receiving a glare as well. He just fixed me with a hard stare to match my own. In the end, I was the one to concede as I turned my head to the side with a humph, crossing my arms in irritation.

"Whatever" I said with a sigh, looking back at Lucario. "You just keep your distance bro."

"Alright, alright, no need to get so defensive" he told me, trying his luck and stepping closer to me and my trainer. I growled again and stepped forward as well, meeting every one of his steps with my own. We were now circling each other, him trying to find a way to investigate me more closely while I was trying to find every possible weak spot he had.

"Stay out or my face and I won't have to be so defensive" I told him, coming to a stop after making three full circles with him. He smiled sheepishly and stepped back next to his trainer.

"Sorry about that, guess I got a little carried away, I tend to do that when I see more of my kind, you know try and find their potential."

"Potential what?" I asked with my head cocked to the side curiously.

"Suitability" he answered simply. I furrowed my brows in response.

"Suitability, what you gay or something?"

"Yes actually."

'Oh for the love of God' I mentally deadpanned and shook my head. First it was Korrina's Lucario, now I possibly gotta worry about this one too...fuck.

"Well...that's lovely" I muttered and walked back in front of my trainer and pointing to my ball.

' _Put me in there please.'_ I said, earning a confused look from him. He must have noticed my tired eyes and, after spending so much time with me, read that this was not up for discussion.

"Alright bud, sorry Gurkin, he really wants to go back into his ball for awhile." Gurkin just waved it off with a smile.

"There is no need to be sorry, I was just about to head out to handle a few things in town, let him rest. You should also go and get some sleep, you have much to do tomorrow" he reminded him, receiving a nod and a goodbye from the brunette before my trainer walked away, but not before placing me in my Pokéball.

* * *

"Man, I will never get used to that " I said as a shiver ran down the length of my spine after I finally formed inside the Pokéball. I looked around the area, noticing I was in the exact same place as I was the last time, near the very top of the tallest mountain in this little pocket dimension of mine. I smiled and leapt up the rocks till I reach the top of the mountain where a single spire was jutting out straight up. I jumped up high and back flipped in the air, landing on one paw on the very tip. The sharp point was stopped from digging into my paw thanks to the aura that I used to surround it in a sort of protective shield.

'I love being a Lucario.'

' _Your welcome'_ I heard a familiar voice say in my head, honestly bringing a smile to my face.

"Hello Mew, its been quite some time, has it not" I heard her giggle in response and suddenly pop into existence right before my eyes like she always does.

"It has, its good to see you again" she said with a smile of her own.

"Likewise...course you could have visited me outside my Pokéball for once." She shook her head and gestured to the world around us.

"As much as I'd loved to, I don't want to be in my own one of these, I'd much rather spend time in here where I can come and go freely." I nodded in understanding before looking at her curiously.

"I've been meaning to ask you, how have you been coming in here in the first place, you can't exactly just teleport into a Pokéball?" I asked her. She looked around her, as if we weren't the only one's in this ball right now, and leaned in close to my ear before whispering.

"It's a secret" she giggled and floated back, sitting in mid air on her tail. I rolled my eyes and shook my head at her answer. "I can tell you one thing though, I'm not exactly here right now."

"This better not be some astral projection bullshit, or whatever the hell it is" I said, earning another giggle from her.

"Not quite, it's a bit more complicated than that, and the stars have nothing to do with it."

"Good, cause I'm a terrible astronomer" I chuckled and hopped down from the tip, landing on the flat platform I had actually created after a whole lot of time and effort. "Would you like to meditate with me?"

"Sorry, that's not really my thing" she replied with a shake of her head.

"What, the meditating or the sitting still, cause I know your more hyper than a kid hopped up on five hour energy and Red Tauros." She giggled and rolled her eyes before floating back to sit on the ground next to me, me myself following close behind her and sitting down cross legged.

"Yeah, yeah, now on to more important matters, I saw that you had already encountered Team Sunburst." I nodded and sighed, remembering the two instances I had encountered the organization. They weren't exactly threatening during our meetings, just a complete bother.

"There a very annoying bunch, and they really emulated Flare huh." Mew nodded and created a large black canvas using her illusions. I wasn't really all that surprised by her ability to create these images, seeing as she was supposed to be the ancestor of all Pokémon, so she probably lifted this ability off of a Zoroark or something.

"They do copy them in many details, but they are far more dangerous. I know that, when you met them, then seemed weak, but they were simply lackeys to Helios, expendable liabilities. Do not take them lightly, their upper echelon is highly trained and ruthless. They will kill, both people and Pokémon, to further their interests." I sighed and placed a paw to my forehead, rubbing away the forming headache.

"Great, why can anything ever be easy" I grumbled and looked up at Mew. "I will try my best to take them down, but I need your help."

"What do you need my favored?" she asked, paying close attention.

"I need you to watch over my family more than me, they might be used as a form of blackmail against me, so I need them to be protected." I was momentarily surprised the word family had left my mouth, but then it hit me. Caleb and the team were my family, they were the only ones I cared about that much.

Mew seemed just as surprised to hear me refer to them as family, but her surprise was slowly replaced by a happy smile.

"I knew I did the right thing when I brought you back" she said, looking to the canvas she had created. I did so as well and looked to the illusion before my eyes opened wide. I saw me and the rest of the team, all of us in our fully evolved forms, and one other Pokémon I couldn't recognize. I wasn't able to make out much else of the image, for it disappeared almost as soon as I saw it.

"That was just a glimpse of the future I could see for you, it is not set in stone, for the future can change in an instant. I will try my hardest to make sure that image becomes reality, but there is only so much I can do. The only one that can set your future, is you." My eyes were still glued to the spot the illusion once was, but I took her words to heart. There truly was no such thing as destiny. My future is my own to control, and I could change it as I saw fit.

"That is correct, destiny is merely a myth to justify some people actions. The future is fickle, it is like a stream that can not be stopped, but one could build up barriers to slow it down, or change its course completely. I know we may have gotten a little off of topic with this, but I needed to say this so you don't fall for their tricks."

"Tricks?" What tricks could she even be talking about. It was already very hard to fool a Lucario, especially one that used to be human.

"Yes, it may seem like I'm talking about something you can never be, but the higher class members of this gang, especially Helios, can be extremely manipulating. Even those with the strongest resilience and loyalty can be tricked by them. Why do you think this team was able to form so quickly." I tilted my head with my eyes closed, seeing her point, and sighed once again.

"Do you think they'll try and manipulate the others?" She nodded, unsurprisingly, and floated back a bit away from me.

"Yes, watch them closely Aaron, for even your closest ally could be your greatest enemy if Helios has his way. You needn't worry about them right now, for they have never even seen a member of Sunburst yet, so they have not been manipulated in any way, but keep an eye out in the future. Pay attention to even the smallest thing that seems out of place. This is all I can tell you for now, I must be getting back to the Hall of Origin. Arceus is trying to find his own ways to deal with them, but there is little we can actually do." I looked at her confused.

"But, aren't you all legendaries, how would it be so difficult?" She held up two fingers in response.

"Two words, Master...Balls." I nodded with a grimace. That would definitely scare any Pokémon trying to attack the team.

"I see...well try and keep me informed, I'll see what I can do, but I need locations and estimates, I want to know what I'm up against." She nodded before bidding me farewell and blinking out of existence. My only company was silence and that was soon broken as well when I yelled out one word.

"...FUCK!"

* * *

"Aaron, come on out buddy." I heard Caleb say before I suddenly popped back into the real world. I shook my head and rubbed my eyes, trying to wipe away some of the sleep with little success.

' _What do you need Caleb?'_ I asked him groggily, simply resorting to my aura vision when my eyes refused to open. I was able to see several different objects such as bookcases, drawers, and a good king sized bed. It seems like Gurkinn treats his guest quite hospitably.

"Sorry if I woke you bud, but I really needed someone to talk to" he said, rubbing the back of his head. I nodded and sat down next to him on the bed, slowly forcing my eyes open to look at him for real.

' _What seems to be troubling you?'_ I asked him, hearing a sigh come from him soon after.

"I just...have this feeling...I can't really describe it but it feels like...something...really bad is going to happen. I don't know why I feel this way, but its been keeping me up at night for the last week."

' _Why didn't you tell any of us this before now, this is a very serious issue if it keeps you up at night.'_ I was actually a little ashamed of myself for not noticing the signs earlier. He moved a lot more sluggishly than usual, and he's been putting away those energy drinks of his like freaking tic-tacs.

"I didn't want any of you to worry about me and my superstitions. I'm fine, I just really wanted some company right now. I would have chosen Lilly, but you know what happens when you wake her up in the middle of the night." I smiled and nodded, holding back a small chuckle at just the image of my Braixen chasing my trainer around with her stick raised like a club.

' _What made you think I would have been any different?'_ He shrugged.

"I didn't, but I know you well enough to think you wouldn't attack me for waking you up." I shook my head and let out a tired yawn.

"Your lucky I like you...now on to more important matters, how can I help you out, you want me to sing you a lullaby?" I chuckled, receiving a punch to the arm. I feigned a hurt expression and rubbed my arm like he actually did some damage. Then we both shared a laugh and he threw his arm over my shoulder after we finally caught our breath.

"No bud, please don't think I'm weird, but I was wondering if you'd be willing to sleep out here with me like you did back when you were a Riolu." He looked to be trying his hardest trying not to blush in embarrassment from asking the simple question. I just smiled and nodded, removing his arm from around me and nudging him till his back was on the bed. I moved the covers up over him and tucked him in, then laughed at how strange this scene must have looked.

' _Goodnight Caleb'_ I said and climbed onto the bed and settled myself next to him out of the covers. His arm came over and wrapped around my stomach, holding me close to him, while his other came under me and scratched my tan furred chest.

"Goodnight Aaron...thank you so much form this bud, you didn't have to do this, but I appreciate it" he told me before planting his chin on my head.

"Not a problem, my clingy little trainer" I chuckled and laid my head on the pillow, letting sleep take me into its speed embrace once again.

* * *

 **Awww, wasn't that just fluffy as cotton candy. Hope you all enjoyed it, I'll get the next chapter up ASAP. I just have to finish the next one for Umbra Aeternam, cause I refuse to neglect one story for another. Any who, tell me what y'all thought, and if you noticed all the missing punctuation and don't really care, then don't read this next part, this is only for that little grammar Nazi that keeps shooting me insulting PM's. I know they'll see this since they apparently can't stop reading this.**

 **Attention sir or madam, I appreciate your opinion, but I'm going to speak on behalf of me and all other writers you have privately flamed.**

 ***Clears throat*...FUCK YOU!**

 **...There, I feel better.**

 **Until next time, adiau miaj amikoj. (If you haven't done it by now, just use google translate, their all the same thing.**


	33. Chapter 33

**My God, I actually had time to write, granted that this chapter is a not short, but still.**

 **I also have great news...kind of. I start classes in three days, yay, I can't freaking wait. Now here's chapter 33 and, I'm going to tell you all right now, there will be no romance between Caleb and Aaron, unless I decide otherwise. Right now, its just filled with fluffy goodness, thank you for your cooperation.**

"Wakey-wakey, time to get up" I heard as I felt Korrina lightly shaking Caleb, waking up both of us in the process. I let out a yawn, showing my pearly white teeth, and slowly opened my eyes. I was greeted by the smiling face of my mate as she tried to take Caleb's arm off of my chest. I groaned and laid down and closed my eyes again, scooting back and snuggling closer to my trainer. He held me tighter in response and tried shooing away both the girls, meeting with little success.

"Five more minutes" we begged in unison while Caleb pulled the blanket back over the both of us. How I ended up under the covers, I have no clue, but I took advantage of it and hid my head under the sheets.

"Nope" the girls said, also in unison, and ripped the sheets off of the bed. Caleb cried and curled around me since I was his only source of warmth while my eyes opened slowly and a smirked graced my muzzle.

' _Caleb, is that a flute in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?'_ I giggled, already imagining his reaction. He didn't even skip a beat in his response.

"I don't know, why don't you blow on it and find out."

'Oh shit!' I bust out laughing and rolled away from him, landing on the floor and rolling around while holding my gut. The boy finally got a good one, and it was freaking awesome. I felt a tear leave my eye it was that good. When I finally was able to calm down I looked at Caleb in admiration.

' _I'm...so proud'_ I sniffled and wiped another tear from my eye. I took one look at the girls and just started laughing again. They were both giving Caleb the death glare while he laughed along side me.

"What's so funny Caleb? " Korrina asked darkly. My trainer and I shared a look and froze for a second until I uttered one, single word.

' _Run!'_ and with that, we were off. We scattered like cockroaches while both the girls chased us down. Caleb ducked out the door and ran for dear life while I basically took a leap of faith out the window. Thankfully the room we slept in was right over the water, so instead of hard ground, I dived down into the ice cold ocean. I surfaced soon after and looked up, only to see a huge fireball heading straight towards me. My eyes shot open and I quickly dove back down to avoid becoming and extra crispy Lucario. When I came back up, I looked towards Lilly, who was still hanging around the window.

"What did I do!?" I shouted at her, then ducked back down when another fireball shot towards me. I stayed under as long as I could, pondering over my situation. All this over a silly little joke, and I'm pretty sure they didn't even hear the part I said, but the context was enough to give it away. Speaking of Caleb, I wonder how he's holding up.

I heard a splash right next to me as soon as I thought that, and I peeked to the side to see Caleb floating under the water right next to me. I wrapped an arm around him and swam up to the surface to finally get some more breath in my lungs.

"Dammit Aaron...why...did you have to...make that joke?!" He yelled between coughs. I didn't say anything as I swam to the shore, dragging my trainer along with me.

' _It was funny...and you really need to lose some weight'_ I joked and threw him onto the sand, flopping down right beside him.

"I'm only hundred and fifty" he replied and slowly got back up to his feet.

' _Wow, you're a fatass'_ I chuckled, receiving a glare from the boy. I smiled cheekily and accepted the hand he offered to me, rising to my feet with a groan. My neck bent a little when I impacted the water, so naturally, it was simply killing me.

"We screwed up didn't we?" he asked suddenly. I grinned and looked up at the window.

' _Royally'_ I chuckled. Pissing off the teacher probably wasn't the best thing we ever did, by it's not like we did it on purpose. Still, I hoped that what happened to us would be enough punishment for our lapse in judgement.

"Oh well, we still gotta go learn, come on, let's head to the training field."

' _Right behind you'_ I replied and followed him to our first learning session.

 **Line Break**

Remember when I said this would be a learning session, well I was wrong. This was basically just a three way with me as the bitch, if that makes any sense. At least that's what it felt like while I was being tossed around like a ragdoll by, not one, but two mega-Lucario. Yep, you heard right, two of them suckers.

It seemed that Korrina's preferred form of teaching was letting her and her grandfathers Lucario turn into freaking super saiyins, I forget what those were but I just know that their similar, and basically hammer me like a nail.

"Alright, that's enough, the warm up is over" Korrina shouted, making me grit my teeth and raise the middle finger in her direction.

'Warm up my ass' I thought and let my head fall to the ground with a thud. It felt like I was basically run over by a street sweeper and she just called that a warm up.

"Aaron, you okay bud?" I grunted in response to Caleb's question and flipped back onto my paws.

' _I'd feel better if you actually tried to mega-evolve me instead of letting a Tweedledee and tweedleidiot over there have at me like a five dollar hooker.'_

"Whats up bud, your using more vulgarity than you usually do?"

' _I'm horny, I get ornery when I'm horny'_ I answered simply. Caleb just blushed a little and turned his eyes away from mine.

"I didn't need to know that."

' _You asked'_ I shrugged and pulled out my megastone. _'Now why don't we actually do it this time, I know were close, I can feel it.'_

I felt confident that we could actually mega-evolve this time. You know what they say, fifty second times the charm. He nodded and I went back onto the field while the other Lucario were still resting.

"Ready Aaron?"

"Let's do it!" I yelled back and held the Lucarionite close to my chest.

"Right...concentrate Caleb, you can do this" I heard him telling himself quietly, trying to psych himself up. "Alright Aaron, hear my voice and let our hearts become one, let's show them our ultimate power, now, mega evolve!" Almost immediately, I felt a foreign power shroud me in warmth, then I noticed that the Lucarionite was starting to glow.

'Its happening!' I mentally exclaimed and felt the power start to permeate my very core. Next thing I knew, I was shrouded in light. I closed my eyes from the intensity, not even noticing the changes that were beginning to take place. It only lasted a few seconds, but when it was finally over, I felt stronger than I ever have before.

I had finally mega-evolved.

"On my Arcues, Aaron, look at you!" Caleb shouted excitedly and ran up beside me, inspecting me meticulously. He felt over each and every one of my new spikes and took each of my four aura sensors, which had grown nearly double in length, in his hands, running his hands along the furry tendrils.

"Yep, he looks great doesn't he?" I heard Korrina come up behind me with Lucario, back in her normal form, in tow. I remembered a little something from the show and tried an experimental flex. I tensed up my muscles and punched my fists together, creating a shockwave that very well near knocked everyone off of their feet.

"Whoa" I muttered, looking down at my paws. So much power were in these things, enough to cause the very air around me to ripple from my strength. I felt like I could take on the world all on my own.

"Jeez bud, how much stronger did you get?" Caleb asked, staring at me in aww. I shot a smirk in his direction and looked towards the two Lucario next to Korrina.

"Ready to go a few more rounds?" I challenged, receiving smirks from both aura Pokémon. I leapt back, covering half the field in just one jump, and got down in my fighting stance while shooting them a 'bring it on' look. They responded in tandem, both running at me with a Power-Up Punch raised. I chuckled and formed a Bone Rush in both paws, twirling them around before leaping at them both, coming at them like a blur. I basically appeared right before them, catching them both by surprise, and planted both clubs on their stomachs. They bent around the attack and I held strong onto the clubs and spinning around before releasing the attack and hurling both of them like frisbee's.

They recovered quickly and slid back on the dirt, forming Aura Spheres and launching them towards me. I formed another Bone Rush and slammed it into one of the Aura Spheres, knocking it back towards the other one and causing a mini explosion that kicked up dust everywhere. They used the cover flawlessly and jumped from the smoke, landing a double Power-Up punch that knocked me back. As soon as those attacks landed, I felt something within me snap.

"Oh no" I whispered, feeling my instincts start to take over. I tried to fight it, but it felt like I was fighting myself, and myself was winning. My vision started turning black and white and I felt the more feral side of me finally take over, then it all stopped. I held a paw up to signal them to stop and dropped to one knee, holding a paw to my head. It felt like I had a five star hangover, but at least I was still in control.

' _Told you I wouldn't let you lose control'_ I heard the voice of my savior giggle. I breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing her voice, glad she kept her word and stopped me from losing myself.

"Aaron, you okay?" I heard Caleb shout before I lost my strength and collapsed to the ground, reverting to regular form on the way down. The last thing I heard was Caleb calling my name and a feeling of weightlessness before everything went dark.

 **Line Break**

"He's waking up, give him some room" I heard someone say after I regained consciousness. My eyes opened slowly and my vision cleared, only to be greeted by just about everyone hovering around me. I felt a something soft under me, probably a mattress, and a thin blanket covering my form.

"Good to see your finally awake" Gurkinn said to me and placed a hand on my forehead. I grunted and tried to lift myself up, only to be immediately pushed back down by a pair of furry white paws.

"You need to rest love, Gurkinn said that the first time you mega-evolve is the most strenuous. He also said that it was a miracle you were even able to maintain control. I don't really know what that means, but I don't wast you getting up yet." I felt Lilly's paw lightly running along my head as she pet me to keep me relaxed. I looked at her pleadingly, but that look in her eyes let me know that this was not up for discussion.

"How are you feeling Aaron?" Caleb asked and took a seat beside me.

' _Like I just went to a death metal concert, translation, I feel like shit'_ I said, fighting through the pain of the telepathy.

"Don't worry bud, Korrina and Gurkin can fix you up, just get some rest and let them work their magic." He chuckled and lightly rubbed my head before backing up and letting Gurkinn get back right by my side.

"Don't worry, mine and Korrina's Lucario went through the same thing when they mega-evolved for the first time. Just drink a little of this and get some sleep, you'll feel better in the morning." He then held a bottle of deep purple liquid before my muzzle. I sighed and opened my muzzle, letting him pour the foul tasting fluid down my throat. I made a face of pure disgust and it took everything in my power not to spit it right back out at him.

'Christ, tastes like sun baked asshole' I thought, coughing after the last few drops slid down my throat.

"Shh, its okay Aaron, here, this should take away the aftertaste" Korrina told me after rubbing my chest and handing me another bottle, this liquid a light orange color. I downed it without hesitation and found instant relief as a citrusy flavor greeted my taste buds. That's when the effects of the medicine kicked in, and my eyes became heavy as I grew suddenly tired.

"There you go, just rest up and we'll train when you get all your strength back, I know that's what you want." I taste her a small smile and nodded, feeling her hand softly pet my muzzle as darkness greeted me once again.

 **I'll try to make the next one longer, until its up, I hope you all enjoy.**

 **P.S. – if you don't know what a mega Lucario looks like, just look it up, I ain't explaining it.**


	34. Chapter 34

**Yay, I'm here with another one of these. It's been awhile hasn't it, like 11 days maybe. That's not really important though, what's is important is that I have chapter 34 up, Yaaay. Here you all go, enjoy.**

"That's it bud, nice and easy" Caleb instructed as he helped me up off of the bed. I cringed when I put pressure on my sore legs, but otherwise kept my mouth shut. Caleb noticed though and rubbed my head before helping me up the rest of the way, placing my weight to my paws slowly.

' _Thank you Caleb...I can take it from here'_ I said, receiving a nod as he released me from his hold, making my legs support myself fully. I nodded to him and knelt down to massage one of my legs, alleviating a little bit of the pain that being comatose for a few days might bring. Korrina said that I shouldn't have been out for that long, but she didn't know who I had in my head. Mew prevented me from losing control, just like she had promised, but she had to drain my energy to do it. How she was able to drain it all so fast, I didn't know, but she was a legendary so it seemed pretty obvious.

"You alright there hon?" I looked over at Lilly upon hearing her question, seeing her worried face. I grinned and gave her a thumbs up before stretching out my legs and hopping to my paws.

"Yes ma'am, I'm feeling right as rain" I answered and threw out a few punches and kicks to prove it. I smirked at my speed and cracked my neck before punching my paws together. "In fact, I could really go for a battle right now."

"Don't even think about it mister!" Lilly immediately yelled at me, making me jump in surprise. I looked at her questioningly, wondering why she suddenly shouted. My only answer was a scowl and glare, then my ear being pinched and her dragging me back to the bed. She sat me down, releasing my now sore ear, and placed both her paws on my shoulders.

"You've been unconscious for three days, and the moment you wake up you want to battle! Not gonna happen buster, you are not even lifting anything until I give you the go ahead, not until I feel like your better." She finished her mini rant with another piercing glare.

"But moooom" I moaned with a smirk, immediately getting a light smack on my muzzle. I yelped and rubbed the spot she hit, acting like it really did hurt, laughing all the while.

"Stop it, or I will find somewhere to put this branch." I immediately stopped laughing and looked at her quizzically before grinning and leaning into her ear.

"Getting kinda kinky aren't we, I love it when you talk dirty" I chuckled. A bright blush overtook her face as she glared and beat my head with her branch. "Ow, that one did hurt."

"Good, now be very carefully about what your next words are, or I really will use this thing " she threatened, waving her branch in front of my muzzle. I gulped and nodded, zipping my mouth shut and tossing the key. She grinned victoriously and patted my head before planting a kiss on the tip of my nose, hugging my head to her chest since she was now slightly taller than me in my position. "I care about you sweetie, I'm not trying to be mean, but I have to get through that thick skull of yours somehow."

I sighed and rubbed the side of my face in her chest fur, reveling in her comforting warmth.

"Fine, I won't do anything too strenuous...on one condition." I smirked and was wrapped my arms around her waist, lifting her up as I stood up again. "You have to make it worth my while, if you know what I mean."

"Now who's talking dirty" she giggled when I nibbled on her neck.

"Don't act like you don't like it" I chuckled huskily, letting my paws start to travel a little farther south.

"Whoa bud, not here, I don't want to be scarred for life" Caleb suddenly shouted and held my paws when they reached my mates waist. I narrowed my eyes, giving him a very venomous glare.

' _You know, its not a very good idea to cock-block a Lucario'_ I growled, making him gulp and release my paws, backing away from me slowly. Lilly was quick to come to his rescue though, as always, distracting me by locking her lips to mine. I calmed down significantly, already nearly forgetting what I was mad about.

"Don't worry baby, I'll make tonight extra special for you" she whispered into my ear, running her soft tongue up the side of my ear. I shivered from her touch and had to hold back a moan after she got a little more...risky. To my disappointment though, she retracted her paws from my chest and got off my lap, walking out of the room soon after while I let my eyes wander.

"Bro, keep it rated T!" Caleb suddenly shouted at the air, scaring me a little. I looked at him oddly and tilted my head.

' _Who are you talking to?'_ I questioned.

"...I have no idea." I deadpanned and glanced to my side, pretending someone was actually there.

' _You're an idiot sometimes, you know that?'_ I sighed. He held a hand to his chest and gasped dramatically.

"Ow, my feelings" he pouted. I rolled my eyes and hopped from the bed.

' _Whatever, come on, let's get outta here, I need to stretch my legs.'_

"Yes, sir" Caleb saluted and followed close behind me. I glanced back at him and smirked.

' _Better not be checking out my ass back there'_ I jokingly warned. The boy blushed red and made to look anywhere but at me. I chuckled with a shake of my head and kept walking, now following him since he now led me around to avoid more embarrassment.

"At least your...sense of humor...is still high." I grinned and threw an arm around his waist.

' _Oh, my poor, poor, trainer. You have not even seen a little of my humor.'_ He stared at me after hearing this, me simply staring back with that grin still plastered on my muzzle.

"You really do scare me sometimes, you know that?" I chuckled, not saying a word, and just kept on walking by his side. Nothing was shared between us for the rest of the trip, other than a comfortable silence. It was kind of peaceful really, the tower was so quiet...until a scream rang through the halls, instantly alerting both of us. We glanced at each other before sprinting towards the source of the scream. I bust through the large doors leading to the outside, but was immediately thrown back by a powerful Dark Pulse hitting me square in the chest.

"Aaron!" Caleb cried and ran to my side, helping me up off of the floor.

"Did anyone get the license plate of that truck?" I groaned and rubbed the back of my head since it made contact with the ground first. I blinked away the spots in my vision and jumped to my paws, holding a paw to my chest.

"You okay bud?"

' _I'm fine, it didn't hurt all that much'_ I told him before turning my attention back to the door where, much to my surprise, both Lee and Yuki were currently standing. They both looked pretty guilty, especially Yuki, and it didn't take me long to put two and two together.

"Okay...who started it?" I asked irritably. This is like the sixth time these two have been at each others throats and actually exchanged a few blows before one of us could break it up. Frankly, I was getting sick and tired of it.

"We weren't fighting like that" Yuki stated, much to my surprise.

"Yeah, we were just having a friendly spar. We might have gotten a little carried away and put a little too much power behind our attacks. I just deflected Yuki's Dark Pulse with my Light Screen and you were just standing in the right place at the right time." **(A\N: I'm aware that's not how Light Screen works in the games, not sure about the Anime, but let's say it does for the sake of the story).**

"No shit" I grumbled and put a bit more pressure on my injured chest after a small spike of pain erupted from my heart. That was the bad thing about dark type attacks, they hurt a lot longer when the hit anywhere near your heart, probably from the dark energy seeping its way through your skin and into your heart.

"I apologize Aaron, I did not mean to harm you, please forgive me" Yuki said, bowing in front of me apologetically. I quirked a brow at her actions, but I just shrugged it off, probably just another one of the things that make her her...or something like that.

"Relax Yuki, no need to apologize, I know it was an accident" I told her, placing a reassuring paw on her shoulder. She smiled and nuzzled my paw before I was suddenly tackled by the over affectionate Absol. I couldn't hold back my laughs as she nuzzled and licked me all over. "Down girl, stop it, aaaahh!"

"Rawr!" she smiled, that tiny roar making me laugh more than before.

"Alright Yuki, that's enough" Caleb chuckled and pulled the disaster Pokémon off of me, allowing me to flip back onto my paws and stretch out my still sore back.

"Good to see your still kicking big brother." I turned my attention towards Lee and flashed him a smile and a thumbs-up.

"It'll take more than a Dark Pulse to take me down" I confidently stated. He lost his smile soon after though and shook his head.

"I'm not talking about that, I meant from your evolution. You had us all worried there for awhile, especially Lilly." My smile faded as well and I sighed, kneeling down so I could look him in the eye. I could see the beginning of a tear in his eye and he sniffled softly. I placed a comforting paw on his shoulder, only to be immediately tackled by the emotion Pokémon in a tight hug. I was surprised, but quickly found myself returning the kids embrace.

"Its alright Lee, I'm alright now, there's no need to worry anymore" I said, standing back up with Lee still in my arms. "Now I got to find the other Lucario, I need to get back to training."

"Okay...please don't hurt yourself" he sniffled and released his hold on me. I nodded and gave him another smile before patting his head and leaving the two to their training.

' _You coming Caleb or you sticking with those two?'_ He jerked a thumb towards the two Pokémon, telling me he was staying back to help them train. I nodded and kept on walking till I reached the outside. I smiled at the familiar sight of the beach and breathed in a deep whiff of the salt air I had come to love. I looked around the beach, seeking for a certain two jackals which I knew would probably be hanging around there. I seemed to have been correct, seeing as the two were currently battling at the outside battlefield.

'Three, two, one' I counted down, followed by an explosion and a Lucario flying back and over my head. I sighed with a shake of my head before a chuckle escaped my muzzle and I walked back to help up the male Lucario.

"You okay guy?" I chuckled and held a paw out for him. He smiled back and grabbed the offered paw, letting me pull him back up to his paws and letting my paw fall back to my side. At least it would have, had he actually let go of it. "You can let go now."

"What if I don't want to?" He purred and tightened his grip on me. I just gave him a deadpan stare and twisted my arm around and flipped him over my shoulder, making him lose his grip quite easily.

"Yeah, were not playing that game. Its bad enough I already have to deal with Tweedledee over there, I ain't dealing with a Tweedledum." He still held that smirk of his and jumped back to his feet.

"Aww, but I love playing games with a cute male such as yourself." I chose to ignore that sentence and simply walked away from him and towards the other bane of my existence.

"Hey there buddy boy" She greeted with a sultry smile. I shook my head and cracked my neck.

"Let me in on this brawl, I need to stretch out my muscles" I said, flexing my fingers and getting down in a fighting stance. They both shared a look of uncertainty and approached me slowly.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, I mean you have been unconscious for the last three days" Korrina's Lucario reminded me. I tisked and stood back up straight, placing my paws on my sides.

"Jee, thanks for reminding me K, your only the fourth person to tell me this." She looked at me confused and tilted her head.

"K?" She questioned.

"I'm naming you both after your trainers first letter of their names, keeps me from confusing you two, and it's a lot easier than calling you both Lucario" I explained, getting a shrug in response.

"If you say so...oh and, just so you know, we aren't battling you" G stated, earning a glare from me.

"And why not?" I practically growled. I just wanted to get myself back in the game with a quick battle, and they were just gonna deny me that chance.

"Don't get the wrong idea, if it was up to us we would be going at it full strength" K defended and gestured over to the side with her head. I glanced over in that direction, only to immediately turn back after seeing a certain firefox staring daggers at us.

"Crap, I forgot about her" I sighed, immediately getting shushed by the both of them. I looked at them questioningly, wondering why they were acting so scared.

"Do you know how amazing the hearing is for all the Fennekin evolutions. She can probably hear every word were saying right now." I raised a brow at the shivering Lucario's before simply shrugging and walking away. I would find some other way to let loose, and I wasn't going to let my mate stop me so easily. Am I going to get my ass kicked in the process of doing it, probably, but I really didn't care at this point.

'What to do, what to do' I wondered and kept on walking along the beach. My boredom was increasing with each step I took and I think it was starting to drive me a little crazy. Then again, those voices in my head have always been there so they didn't really bother me. Except the one that just sits back there and hums that creepy vocaloid song. Hide and Seek or something, I don't really remember.

'Wait, they don't have vocaloid songs here.' I stopped in my tracks after this thought crossed my mind. Did the voices remember my past...if they did then I really need to see a psychiatrist.

"Daddy!" I heard my little girl yell as a smile graced my muzzle and I turned back to see the little Vulpix charging towards me.

"Hey there baby girl" I said and crouched down with my arms open wide. She leapt at me and nearly brought me to the ground after she basically tackled me. "My your getting big."

"I know, mommy says I'm already bigger than she was when she was my age." I chuckled and nodded.

"I believe it, mommy was pretty small back when she was a Fennekin" I smirked and leaned in to close to her ear. "Don't tell mommy, but I'm pretty sure your cuter than she was as a kit."

She giggled at my words and crawled up onto my shoulder, wrapping herself around my neck and nuzzling my cheek affectionately. I chuckled and nuzzled her back before once again standing back up to my full height and continuing my walk. I was happy my little Kaen was here with me now, helps ease the boredom of walking alone on the beach.

"Daddy, I'm hungry" Kaen told me as her belly grumbled. Mine followed her lead and voiced its own protest while I held it with a paw. We both shared a laugh and I immediately changed my course from nowhere to somewhere.

"Well then, let's get something to eat" I said and picked her up off of my shoulder and held her tight to my chest. "Ready."

"Onward to victory!" she yelled as I reared my leg back and kicked off into a sprint, gaining a lot of ground in seconds. We reached the tower in record time and I bust through the doors with a squealing Vulpix still in my arms. I was greeted by the sight of Korrina standing in front of the mega-Lucario statue, looking at it with her eyes glazed over. I gave her a curious glance before setting my Kaen down and nudging her towards the kitchen, telling her to go ahead and eat.

' _Are you alright Korrina?'_ She didn't respond right away, just kept staring at the statue blankly. Frankly, it worried me a little and I stepped up beside her, glancing at her, then at the statue, then back at her.

"Korrina, are you okay?" I asked again, using my real voice in the hopes of it getting through to her. It seemed to have worked as she blinked and shook her head before turning to look down at me.

"Oh, hey Aaron, what are you doing here?" She questioned, her voice cracking just a little, barely noticeable to anyone if they weren't me.

' _I could be asking you the same question."_

"I'm just thinking" she replied. I knew it was a lie, you can't lie to a Lucario, so I pressed on.

' _You don't have to hide the truth from me Korrina, please tell me whats wrong'_ I urged her. She looked down at me blankly for a moment, a noticeable frown upon her face, before giving off a deep sigh.

"I'm worried Aaron...I've been hearing a lot of reported from the other gym leaders about increasing gang activity throughout Kalos...I'm scared that they'll come here and hurt my people. It's a gym leaders duty to help protect their city from any threats. I just don't think I'm ready to take up that kind of responsibility yet."

The first thing that came to mind during her explanation was Sunflare. It seems their getting a whole lot bolder. A few weeks ago they were basically ghosts, but now their finally making their move. What changed I wonder.

' _I know your worried for your people Korrina, I would be scared to if I was in your shoe's. You can't let it get to you though, your more than capable of handling something like this, I know you are. The question is, do you believe you can handle it. You're a fighting type specialist and a pretty darn good one to boot, so you have nothing to worry about, the whole town believes in you, we believe in you...I believe in you.'_ I took one of her hands in my paws and held it up in front of her. _'Korrina, you have to believe in you'._

I placed her hand over her heart and stepped away while she looked down at the hand over her chest. She still looked pretty nervous and scared, but at least now she had a sliver of confidence in herself, I could see it in her eyes. I smiled and beckoned her forwards with a wave of my paw.

' _Come on, let's get you something to eat huh, that always clears my head.'_ She gave me a small smile and nodded, following close behind as she and I walked away from the statue and towards the kitchen. I almost yelped after a pair of arms wrapped around my stomach and pulled me close to the human girl.

"Thank you Aaron...I'm glad that you believe in me...thank you so much." She told me, resting her chin on my head and hugging me tightly. I smiled and moved my head around so u could nuzzle her cheek in response.

' _Any time Korrina, any time.'_

 **Not really one of my best, but I'm still a little brain dead so cut me some slack. I just wanted to get at least something out, you know. I hate keeping y'all waiting, but I need a lot more breaks than I did back in high school. College freaking sucks, but whatever, at least I can write little in between classes, when I can of course. Sadly, chapters will definitely be spotty from now on, so I apologize in advance. I'll try and keep up the story, y'all just gotta be patient with me. Thanks for understanding.**


	35. Chapter 35

**Nothing to say other than enjoy.**

* * *

"And we fail once again" I gasped as I stood on my paws and knees weakly, beyond exhausted from our latest mega-evolution attempt. I cringed when I felt the tightness in my stomach as my back practically radiated pure pain after being hit so hard. I had lost control of the form once again, subsequently leading me to getting my rear end handed to me by two other mega-evolved Lucario.

"Don't worry, it'll take a few tries to handle the power, but you'll get there" K told me as she wrapped her arms around my waist and helped me back up onto my feet. I glanced at her for a moment, offering her a nod and a grunt as I held onto her for support.

"I appreciate y'all helping me out by keeping me from going on a rampage, but did you really have to hit my back so hard? It feels like my spines in my stomach." I groaned and held a paw to my belly, nearly toppling over again from the feeling of lightheadedness that followed!

"Sorry, we kind of panicked, your aura spiked and we were afraid we wouldn't have been able to stop you if you had lost it" G told me as he came over. I gave him the evil eye and cringed when I pushed myself off of K, keeping a paw on her shoulder in case I lost my balance.

"Still, it was two against one, do I really scare y'all that much?" I asked while trying to put my spine back into place, resulting in a loud pop that felt both extremely satisfying and excruciatingly painful.

"Yes, you do" they answered in unison. I just stared at them both before shaking my head and heading back over to Caleb.

"Whatever, let's try one last time, but don't interfere like you did before." They shared a look and stepped back, their trainers holding their keystones just in case. I looked to Caleb and nodded, taking in a deep breath and facing him.

' _One more time master'_ I said, holding up a paw to silence his next statement. _'Humor me.'_

He nodded reluctantly and took a few steps back, holding his keystone in his clenched fist.

"Ready?" I nodded. "Alright, hear my voice and let our hearts become one, let's show them our ultimate power, now, mega evolve!"

'Joy, catch phrase's' I chuckled as I felt the power of the megastone begin to surround me in its light. The changes were almost instantaneous now as the light left me after a few mere seconds, leaving a powerful mega-Lucario in its wake. My ruby eyes opened slowly and rolled my neck around before putting my paws up in a fighting stance. I punched and kicked the air over a dozen times, releasing multiple shockwaves of pure aura that nearly knocked down everyone around me.

"Let's party!" I shouted with a toothy grin while looking at the two Lucario across from me. They nodded and nodded to their trainers, instantly becoming mega just like me.

"Bone Rush!" Korrina and Gurkin shouted together. The two were on me in an instant, bone's raised high. They swung down together, only to be stopped half way by my own Bone Rush. I grinned and spun the bone around, throwing them both off and forcing them to dodge the split clubs flying towards them.

I could already feel the control starting to slip, but I was determined to stay me. I had to focus on nothing else.

"Stay with me Aaron, you can do it!" I heard Caleb shout, momentarily breaking my concentration.

"Not helping the situation!" I yelled back, gritting my teeth and clenching my fists as pain radiated throughout my body. I struggled to keep my composure and to stifle the scream as the pain just seemed to get more and more pronounced. "FUCK!"

"Fight it Aaron, concentrate on your bond with Caleb" I heard G say as someone grabbed my shoulders and pulled me back into a hug. As soon as the arms wrapped around me, the pain just simply stopped. I breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back, letting whoever was holding me support my weight as I slowly opened my eyes, seeing nothing but a blur.

' _I'm...alright'_ I breathed and stood back onto my feet, wobbling a little bit and shaking my head, clearing away the spots and fuzziness.

"Sure your good bud?" I looked back and saw Caleb right behind me, telling me he was the one holding me up. I nodded and cracked my neck again, bouncing on the balls of my paws to shake away some of the fatigue.

' _Yes sir, I'm in total control'_ I replied, flashing him a grin and a thumbs up. He looked pretty surprised at the quick change in attitude, but took it in stride and gave me a smile of his own.

"Alright then, use Bone Rush!" I grinned wildly and shot forward with renewed vigor. I didn't lose control, and I felt like I could now do anything. I fought much more fiercely than before, even to the point where the two other megas had trouble just keeping up with me.

"Get him in your sights, then use Aura Sphere" Korrina commanded.

"Not so fast!" I shouted, that crazed look still on my muzzle. I skidded to a halt and put both my paws together, letting the energy flow in-between them. I felt the energy begin to concentrate between them and soon, a large ball of pure blue energy appeared between them, matching the one between K's paws. We released the attacks at the same time, the spheres connecting and creating a shockwave that nearly took _me_ off my paws.

"Jesus Christ!" I cringed and fell to my four paws, trying to keep from flying away. K was not so lucky in that aspect, having been thrown back almost as soon as they hit, making her crash right into G and sent them flying back towards their respective trainers.

"Holy Crap!" Caleb shouted as he stared at the damage left behind by the attacks hitting one another. Their was a giant crater right below where they hit, two unconscious Lucario lying on top of their trainers, and one mega-evolved Lucario dancing on top of all the carnage.

"Woohoo!" I happily cheered and leapt up with a fist punched high in the air. My paws never touched the ground as Caleb once again wrapped his arms around my waist, keeping me up in the air while he leapt around with a smile on his face.

"You did it bud, you did it" he cried happily and spun me around in celebration. The boy was so happy, he seemed to completely forget about my spikes, but I was quick to dull them with my aura so the boy didn't get impaled.

' _Took long enough huh?'_ I chuckled as he finally let me down. He laughed and nodded, patting my head and scratching just behind one of my ears. Sometime during this little exchange, I had lost my mega form and I was now back to being the annoying, lovable Lucario I was before.

"Were okay!" Gurkinn yelled out. I looked back to see him and his granddaughter pushing their Lucario off of them and getting up onto their feet with their hands on their heads.

"That smarted just a little" Korrina groaned and the two returned their Pokémon to their Pokéballs before making their way over to us.

' _Y'all alright?'_ I asked them, concerned laced in my voice. Korrina gave me a thumbs up while Gurkinn gave a simple nod of the head. I nodded back and promptly fell back onto my ass, tired from the entire battle and evolution process.

"Congratulations you two, you have mastered the art of mega-evolution...mostly." I looked at the mega evolution guru with a bored expression and simply fell onto my back, not caring enough to ask the question at the moment.

"Mostly?" Caleb on the other hand, well he just couldn't keep his mouth shut, so now I was forced to listen to another lesson on mega evolution. I didn't really pay all that much attention to it this time, simply choosing to ignore him and relax on the dirt.

* * *

"Aaron, Aaron, time to wake up" I heard someone say to me and a something cold nudged my shoulder. I groaned and tried hSooing away the offending object, but it just kept on. It started on my shoulder, the it eventually travels up to my ear, delivering a soft bite that hurt only a little. I moaned and cracked an eye open to see a dark blue face staring back at me.

"Yuki?"

"Hello pup" she responded with a smile and an affectionate lick on the tip of my nose. I smiled a little and forced myself up into a sitting position to see the Absol eye to eye. I took a quick look around, noticing I was still on the battlefield, meaning I had fallen asleep soon after falling to the ground. "Caleb thought it best to leave you be, he told me to wake you up in a few hours."

"Why do I have to get up?" I whined and fell onto my back once again, getting a giggle out of the disaster Pokémon. I felt her grab the scruff of my neck in her teeth and she then proceeded to drag me out of the room. I voiced no protest, seeing no point in any of it, and simply resigned myself to my fate.

'It must have been quite the battle if you fell asleep in the middle of the battlefield' Yuki thought, knowing I would hear her.

' _It was...I've never been more tired from a battle, then again, all the other battles didn't involve mega-evolution.'_ I replied tiredly, feeling my consciousness start to leave me once again as the urge to fall asleep grew. Yuki bit down just a bit harder, making me give out a pained yelp as I glared at the Absol, now wide awake.

"What the hell!" I practically shouted at her. She shrugged and kept on walking.

'I cannot have you falling asleep again, it took me a whole five minutes to wake you up the first time.' I rolled my eyes and pried her jaws off of my scruff and stood up, moving around to stretch out my muscles.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever" I replied and moved to walk beside her. Where she was leading me was a complete and total mystery, but I wasn't all that concerned. I just wanted to go do whatever it is I'm supposed to do and go to sleep.

"In case you were wondering, we are all leaving the tower today since you have mastered mega-evolution. We no longer have any true reason to be here so we are all saying farewell to Korrina and her grandfather." That answers one of the unspoken questions I had. Sad to have to go, but I am also very happy to finally leave this God forsaken tower. I appreciate their help, but the other Lucario were starting to get on my last nerve.

"Did he tell you were to next, I mean I have an idea, but did he mention any stops or detours?" She shook her head in the negative and walked ahead to push open the door, revealing every one of the humans and the two other Lucario, shaking hands and exchanging their goodbyes. When they heard the doors grinding open, they turned to acknowledge us as we made our way over.

' _Y'all are having a farewell party and didn't invite me, I'm hurt'_ I joked while holding a paw over my heart. Korrina and Gurkinn actually flattered me with a chuckle while Caleb simply shook his head fondly.

"Well hello to you to sleeping beauty" my trainer grinned and moved over to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me close to him. I raised a brow and looked up at him questioningly. The only time he held me like this is when I either did something amazing, or he was nervous about something.

"Well guys, I hate to say it, but we really must be on our way, thanks for everything" Caleb said and bowed his head while I gave them a real bow. I could feel their joy at seeing another person graduate in the art of mega-evolution. I felt a hand rest on my head and looked up to see Gurkinn smiling down at me.

"I am proud of the both of you, you especially Aaron, you fought through the corrupting power of mega-evolution and achieved one of the most powerful forms known in the world. Congratulations to you both, and good luck out there." I smiled and held out my paw towards him, feeling his hand clasp mine.

' _Been nice knowing you old man'_ I grinned. He chuckled and nodded, giving my head one more pat before stepping back and letting his granddaughter take his place. Out of everything she could have done, she chose to surprise me by pulling my heads to her chest and hugging me tightly to her. My blood ran cold as my body heated up, my human side coming out and putting very dirty thoughts into my head.

'No, bad brain' I scolded my head, focusing on anything but what my head was currently resting on.

' _You're a very clingy person, aren't you?"_ I questioned, making her immediately release me and take a step back to give me some space.

"Sorry, I just hate seeing a friend go" I waved a paw dismissively and smiled up at her, bowing my head in thanks for everything she has done for us. That's when a little thought popped into my head, one that was bound to get me in trouble in the future, but the prospects were just to good to not.

' _Korrina, before we go, I think you and Caleb need to talk about something'_ I smiled. She looked like she was about to question me, but I quickly retreated into my Pokéball to avoid giving anything away.

* * *

"God I hope that worked" I sighed as a chuckle escaped my muzzle. I might have put the man on the spot, but it was all for the best. Maybe he'll even score a date, you never know.

"I hope it worked too, it might be quite entertaining" I smiled at the familiar voice as I turned to greet the legendary, only to be rendered mute by the sight of another Pokémon hovering next to her.

"Uhh" I dumbly stated, unable to get out a word as I stared at the little green fairy.

"This is your chosen Mew" the Celebi questioned, floating around me, examining me very closely. I followed her with my eyes as she circled me.

"Mew, why is Celebi here?" I asked the little psychic cat. She giggled and wrapped her tail around the other legendary, pulling her a comfortable distance away from me.

"Sorry Aaron, she really wanted to see you."

"How could I not want to, he's all you freaking talk about." Celibi sighed exasperatedly. I raised a brow at Mew, watching as a sheepish smile spread across her face.

"Well I'm sorry, but he's the best chance we have against Team Sunburst." Celebi rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively.

"Yeah, yeah, quit replaying yourself already. I'll see you at the Hall, you know how Arcues gets when we leave without telling him." Mew frowned, but agreed with the time travelling Pokémon and left, giving me a small hug and a goodbye before disappearing along with the fairy.

I just stared at the place they once were with a sweatdrop. I would have questioned it, but I don't think there was any way to explain the insanity of the legendaries. I blinked before simply shaking my head and sighing, leaving to go meditate by the lake and try to forget whatever it is that just happened.

"What a crazy life."

* * *

 **Tell me what y'all thought, leave a comment(pretty please).**

 **PS, don't worry about the Aura Sphere part, I'll explain it later**


	36. Chapter 36

**I rise from the dead my beautiful readers, its good to be back. Sorry for the wait, but like I said in my note from before, I am suffering from some serious writers block so there is no telling when the next update will be. But I do have some pretty interesting news, I have been mentioned on YouTube. A guy asked me about a concept I didn't really give much thought of, how almost every trainer in almost every story has been aged up from ten to a much older age. It is a pretty interesting concept if you think about it, so if your interested in seeing the video, I'll be posting the name of it since it won't let me paste the link, look for it on the bottom.**

 **Now please, read and enjoy.**

"Why in the nine hells did I agree to this!" I growled while I squared off with a Gallade with my Bone Rush. Several cuts littered my body from the battle, while the Gallade had a number of bruises covering him where I was able to hit him. All in all, we were both pretty evenly matched in terms of skill, as well as speed, so there was no telling how long this fight would go on.

' _Caleb, we need to end this, now!'_ I practically shouted while holding the Gallade's blades at bay. I gritted my teeth and pushed with all my might, finally pushing him back and off of me, allowing me to backpedal away and gain some much needed breathing room.

"Quick, use Psycho Cut!"

"Shit!" I just barely sidestepped the attack as the blade of psychic energy wizzed by me, nearly cutting off my tail in the process. 'That was way too close.'

"Extreme Speed, then use Force Palm!" I nodded and fazed out from existence, appearing behind the Gallade soon after, then shot my paw forwards, aiming for his spine. I felt instinct take over and curled my paw into a fist, hitting the blade Pokémon with larger force than my Force Palm could ever achieve. His back arched with the punch before he was basically launched across the field, skipping across the ground like a stone on water, eventually skidding to a halt face first in the ground.

"Gallade!" the trainer yelled and ran towards his downed Pokémon, turning it over to reveal that it was out cold. The kid looked up at his friend, who had currently been standing as the ref, and shook his head.

"Gallade is unable to battle, the winner is Caleb, congratulations."

As soon as those words left his mouth, I had dropped to one knee, totally spent. Almost immediately, I felt arms wrap around my waist as I was lifted from the ground and back onto my aching paws.

"That was awesome buddy, you won the battle and learned a new move, I'm proud of you" Caleb said and picked me up, bridal style, giving my head an affectionate pat in the process.

' _Yay'_ I sarcastically cheered and let my head drop onto his chest. I was remotely curious on how he could have picked me up so easily, but my attention was kind of focused elsewhere, like on all of my aching body.

He laughed at my comment before exchanging a few parting words and a handshake with the young trainer, then continued on his way to Lumiose City.

' _Never...again'_ I simply stated and closed my eyes, slowly losing the fight to stay awake. Caleb's head pats were definitely not helping and, before I knew it, I was out like a light.

"There you go, your Lucario is fully healed, we hope to see you again" Nurse Joy waved as we left the Lumiose City Pokémon center.

' _You ever stop to think about how messed up the last part of that sentence is?"_ I asked after crossing the door to the city. Caleb nodded silently, but kept his eyes straight forward as he stared at Lumiose Tower. I grabbed his hand in my paw and pulled it onto my head, knowing that the feel of my fur would help keep him calm. The boy had been stressing out over this battle ever since we hit the road after Shalour.

"You think were ready bud?" he asked me, showing just how nervous he was. He never asked me that question when he was sure we could win. This meant that he was doubting the abilities of himself and his team, which frankly ticked me off a little bit.

' _Caleb, come here'_ I ordered him. He obliged and leaned down towards me, giving me the perfect opportunity to deliver a smack right to the back of his head.

"Oww, what the hell!" he growled while fixing me with a glare. I shook my head in disappointment, not bothering to even open my eyes to look at him.

' _Have more faith in yourself and your team Caleb, whether we win or lose, we will give it no less then our all. If we lose, we lose, we can keep trying, or you can buck up, shut up, and lead us to victory like you have countless times before.'_ He blinked, trying to process everything I had just literally shoved into his mind. When he finally came back to his senses, he still couldn't come up with a reply, simply opening and closing his mouth silently.

"Arceus...your right Aaron...how could I have been so stupid" he finally said after nearly a minute of silence. The sentence immediately earned a sigh from me. There he goes again, putting himself down.

' _Caleb, you aren't being stupid, you simply had a small lapse in judgement. It happens to all of us every now and then.'_ I soothed, patting his back with a paw. _'Now seriously, stop questioning yourself and your team, and we'll give it everything we've got, just like we always do.'_

He smiled and nodded, now looking up at the tower with renewed confidence. His fire finally returned to him, good, now I don't have to smack him anymore.

"Lets do this Aaron, I know were ready." I raised a brow at that. Now where did that come from.

He didn't give me time to question it, already halfway down the road towards the tower, making me run to catch up with him. I knew one thing, he was now more than ready for anything this Clemont had to throw at us.

"Thank God, no climbing" I let loose a relieved sigh as the doors right after the entrance slid open, revealing a large, ground floor, battlefield.

"Greetings challenger" I nearly broke off running at the suddenness of the voice that greeted us. Instead of running off like a little girl, I was struck speechless as I stared up at the giant robot standing over me. Well he wasn't really all that big, maybe about six and a half feet, but you gotta remember that I'm short, so he seems pretty large.

"The robots are taking over, hide me!" I jokingly screamed and hid behind my trainer, peeking out from behind his hip like a scared child. Both trainer and robot could only blink as they looked at me in surprise. I grinned and shook my head, letting them know that I was only joking.

"Okay...anyway, ignore him Mr...robot…person" Caleb hesitantly stuck out his hand towards the robot. It looked down at the offered hand and immediately took it, giving it a friendly shake and bowed respectfully.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, I am Clembot, a creation of Master Clement's. I was created to serve the challengers of the Lumiose City" it stated, rising back to its full height and ushering us forward onto the battlefield.

"It's a pleasure to meet you to Clembont, my names Caleb, and this here's my buddy Aaron" he replied, putting a hand on my head and ruffling my ears. I bowed to the robot in a similar fashion as he did.

"If you will please give me a moment, I shall retrieve Master Clemont, I shall return momentarily, please wait here." Now he's gone, leaving me and Caleb alone on the battlefield.

' _I was kind of expecting the battlefield to be metal to be honest, givin that this is a electric type gym'_ I said, looking down at the dirt floor. Caleb hummed in agreement, but didn't offer much in terms of a reply. I nudged him with an elbow and cast him a sideways glance, but keeping my head turned towards the field.

"Sorry bud, the nervousness is coming back" he told me, rubbing his hands together anxiously.

' _Breath'_ I reminded, doing nothing more than sitting down in a meditative pose, choosing to sit quietly while we waited for Clemont.

"Master Caleb" I jumped, my concentration lapsing as I looked up at the robot as it stood before me. It moved out the way, waving its hand towards the door to the side where faint footsteps could be heard echoing from the opening.

"If I move this here, and this here, and calibrate this to just the right degree...there, all done!" A voice shouted in celebration. Shortly after, a blond guy looking to be about in his late seventeen's stepped through the doorway, giving himself a high five with some robotic arm coming from his backpack.

'That's actually a little sad' I mentally chuckled, already imagining how this must have looked to anyone who didn't know who this was. Me and Caleb even shared a look as a small chuckle escaped us.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I got a little distracted, your Caleb correct?" The boy asked, walking over and extending his hand out towards him. Caleb took it with out a second thought and shook it confidently.

"Yes sir, I came to challenge you to a battle and earn that Voltage badge." He stated, clenching his fist and holding it out in front of him with a confident smile. The boy was actually starting to worry me now, jumping between confident and nervous, I could swear he was becoming bipolar just from this battle.

"Confident are we, very well, I accept your challenge" he said, adjusting his glasses so they reflected the light so his eyes were no longer visible, and then pointed his finger at Caleb on the last few words.

"Excellent, gentlemen, please take your places" Clembot immediately stated, ushering us onto the respective sides of the field.

"Calm down Clembot, no need to rush everything" Clemont said, trying to calm the suddenly overexcited robot. It looked at its creator like he was some kind of crazy person.

"There is plenty of need to rush, you will no doubt have an influx of challengers this afternoon. Have you forgotten that this is what you called the, 'Busy Season'" Clembot said, making Clemont actually cringe before releasing a tired sigh.

"Your right, but still, lets not rush the first challenger of the day" He said, then turned back to Caleb with an apologetic look. "Sorry, he's always like this in the morning."

Caleb waved him off with a smile.

"Now, how about we get this battle started, shall we." Both trainers gained confident smiles and reached to their belts, pulling out their first Pokéballs.

"Alright, this battle will be a three-on-three match between Clemont, the Lumiose City gym leader, and Caleb, the challenger. Only the challenger is allowed to make substitutions, now gentleman, please select your first Pokémon." Clembot announced, standing as the referee for this battle.

"Right, Magneton, your up!" Clemont shouted and tossed the ball out, releasing the Magnet Pokémon. ( **Just look it up, you should all know what a Magneton looks like)**

"Electric/Steel type huh, guess I chose right then. Go Kaen!" He released the little Vulpix soon after, which after a few weeks of growing, wasn't exactly so small anymore. Her six tails flared as she stomped a paw, giving off a determined and confident growl before crouching down in a battle stance.

"A Vulpix...I see, that is a logical choice, but it still won't be enough to beat me." Clemont stated and nodded to Clembot. It took the cue and raised a hand to the sky, looking between the two of us for a moment.

"Battle...begin!" As soon as those words left its...mouth...all hell broke loose. Literally, it was hot as hell with all of the fire that suddenly covered the field. I actually hid behind Caleb purely from the surprise and suddenness of the attack.

"Magneton, dodge it, quick!" Clemont shouted frantically, also taken off guard by how strong and swift the attack came for his Pokémon.

"Oh crap!" the Magneton squealed in its metallic voice, quickly flying up into the sky to avoid the spout of fire that would have quite possibly one shot it.

'My God, what have they been doing while I wasn't around?' I wondered in stunned surprise as I stared at the Vulpix. Whatever they did to help her train...I want in.

"Electric Terrain!"

"Oh no you don't, quick Kaen, use Quick Attack!" she nodded and shot towards the Magneton, shoulder bashing it before it could use its move.

"Thunderbolt!" So much for her being suddenly OP, that point blank shot of electricity was enough to knock her back a few feet and wobble a little on her paws. It seemed that they paid way to much attention to special attack, not enough on her special defense.

"Stay strong baby girl, you can do this!" I shouted in encouragement, feeling a sudden surge of confidence emanating from her form. That's when she sprinted forward, flames seeming to completely cover her in an orange glow. Magneton barely had time to blink before a ball of fire slammed into him, knocking him back down to the dirt and pluming up dust.

"Magneton!" Clemont shouted in concern, which was rightly placed since, when the dust cleared, revealed a Magneton with swirls in each of its three...eyes?

I could only stare at Kaen, unable to form any words to describe what I had just seen. My little Vulpix just beat the ever loving crap out of a gym leaders Pokémon in little more than the span of fifteen seconds. I was definitely going to have to figure out what they were doing while I was training...and maybe I'll ask Mew as well. Right now, I needed to figure out if what I just saw was actually true.

' _Caleb...what just happened?'_ I asked numbly, not turning away from the Vulpix currently dancing around the field in celebration.

"I have no clue" he said, sounding as surprised as I was.

"This is...inconceivable. Statistically that should have been next to impossible!" Clemont said, more to himself than to us, as he typed a few things into some pad he suddenly pulled out of no where.

"Actually, you have been falling short on your training, so it is perfectly plausible for such an event to occur." We all looked at Clembot strangely, not actually seeing the reasoning behind this statement. Falling behind on training won't make something like this more likely to occur, but Clemont just shrugged it off, choosing to ignore it for now and throwing out his next Pokémon.

"Heliolisk, its your turn!" He shouted, releasing the generator Pokémon out onto the field.

"Come back Kaen, its Lee's turn" he said, recalling the Vulpix and letting out everyone's favorite little hellspawn. The Kirlia twirled around a few times like a ballerina, finally striking a little pose and winking at the enemy Pokémon.

'Lee, I swear to God your gay' I sweat dropped while I watched the Heliolisk blush and gulp nervously.

"Alright, Heliolisk, use Quick Attack!" And Heliolisk disappears like a freaking magician. Half a second later, Lee was knocked halfway across the field and skipped like a stone across the dirt.

"LEE!" Caleb shouted, immediately being quieted down by the Kirlia's hand.

"I'm fine" he said, making Caleb nod and issue his next order.

"Use Magical Leaf!" I still wonder where these things suddenly appear, even as dozens of leaves suddenly appeared out of thin air and launch out towards the enemy. No matter how fast it could run, there was no way it was going to dodge that move.

"Thunderbolt!"

"Use Psychic before it can let loose!" Perfect strategy Caleb, keep him from defending.

"Heliolisk!" This was honestly just starting to get repetitive, Lee getting a few hits in, then Clemont suddenly turning back and getting a few hits in as well. I honestly think I fell asleep somewhere during the battle. When I woke up, I saw both Pokémon were out like lights.

"What happened?" I asked, my voice tired and groggy. I cracked my neck and shakily stood up to my paws, observing the carnage left behind from the battle. Holes littered the field and both Pokémon were sporting some nasty bruises and scratch marks. At least Clemont finally got one of us, not that he seemed all that excited about it.

"Amazing, you must have been training quite adamantly in order to perform so well, I'm impressed." Clemont readjusted his glasses and reached behind him, pulling out his final Pokéball. "But let's see how you fair against my strongest Pokémon."

"Finally, maybe I'll get to see some real action" I grinned and crossed my arms, eager to see the next battle.

"Bring it on" Caleb grinned and pulled out the Pokéball of everyone's favorite Absol.

"Luxray, your up!"

"Let's finish this Yuki!"

 ***Pop*Pop***

"Luxray!"

"Absol!"

Out they came, not even bothering to speak, simply uttering their battle cries. Yuki growled harshly, a move mirrored by Luxray as both the disaster and the gleam eyes Pokémon squared off, circling each other like Alpha's preparing to fight for territory. Something must have clicked between the two, causing a serious bout of aggression between the two. No doubt this battle was going to be brutal.

"Alright, use Thunder Fang!"

"Counter it with Night Slash!"

The two charged towards each other, Yuki jumping up and leaning her head back, ready to slash at Luxray with her horn while it charged at her, teeth crackling with electricity. Luxray's teeth clambed down on Yuki's horn, leaving the two in a stalemate.

"Night Daze!" Yuki's form glowed dark black before the darkness exploded, forcing Luxray to release her hold and sent her flying back, bouncing one before flipping in midair with feline grace, landing on her paws and crouching down.

"Volt Tackle!"

"Use Quick Attack to dodge!" The Absol tried to get away, but the Volt Tackle was faster and Luxray rammed right into her side, making her crash to the floor, but she quickly recovered and jumped back onto her paws, pouncing on Luxray who happened to be nearby where she had landed. The two rolled around, clawing and biting at each other, eventually being split apart from the combined force of Discharge and High Daze.

"Shadow Ball!"

"Swift!"

This battle was getting no where fast, just like the Lee and Heliolisk battle, this thing was going into a stalemate, neither side willing to give an inch.

"Your doing good Yuki, keep it up and Use Shadow Ball!"

"Counter it with Swift!" The attacks contacted once again, kicking up dust and dirt.

"Now use the dust to close in with a Night Slash!" Bad idea, did he forget about Luxray's abilities. Seems not, since he said nothing as Yuki charged into the cloud, only to go flying back out after a flash of light kicked her out.

' _Gleam eyes Caleb, dust cover won't work, you have to catch it off guard.'_ Caleb nodded after hearing this information before his eyes lit up as an idea came to his mind.

"Quick, launch multiple Shadow Balls into the dust cloud!" She obeyed without question, launching Shadow Ball after Shadow Ball into the cloud. I could hear the constant shuffle of paws as Luxray was forced to dodge the constant assault. I smiled after realizing his plan, planning on tiring it out quickly. The poor air quality in that dust cloud should make it hard for it to breath, meaning it would slow down substantially and make it much easier to hit.

"Great job Yuki!" Caleb praised, earning a pleased yip from her. When the dust finally settled, it revealed a very tired Luxray panting from the exertion.

"Luxray, are you alright!"

"I...can still...battle" it said in a deep masculine tone. His voice was shaky and tired, but the boy still held strong and clenched his teeth, trying to endure the mixture of pain and exaustion.

"Quick Attack!"

"Volt Tackle!" He tried to perform the move, but he was so utterly exhausted that, after he took one step, he simply fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Luxray is unable to battle, the winner of this battle is Caleb, the challenger, congratulations" Clembot stated.

"Indeed, I seems you beat me, quite easily if I may say. You definitely deserve this" Clement said, appearing out of freaking nowhere and scaring the living crap out of all of us, especially Caleb, who was currently kneeling down in front of Yuki and rubbing her affectionately.

"Well, it wasn't exactly easy, I really had to think on my toes" Caleb humbly stated, looking up at the gym leader for a moment before turning back to his beloved Absol, giving her one last head pat before rising to his feet and readily taking the boys hand in his, giving it a firm shake.

"You say that, but you looked to be completely calm, even your Lucario was completely at ease, it must have known that you would win from the start." I looked up at the blond and grinned, getting ready to make this kids day.

' _I have complete faith in my trainers abilities'_ I said, making the boy blink and look down at me almost immediately, his eyes lighting up with intrigue.

"A Lucario that can use telepathy, amazing" he reached a hand out towards me, but it seems his common sense kicked in first and his hand stopped inches from my head. I gave him a knowing smile and nodded, allowing him to close the distance between us and feeling him take one of my aura sensors into his hands, examining it closely. "Your aura manipulation is far beyond that of a normal Lucario, you my friend are a fascinating statistical anomaly."

I blinked, barely able to keep up with how fast he was talking, especially since he was using big words very quickly right after another.

' _I'm confused, was that an insult or a compliment?'_ Clemont chuckled and rubbed my head gently.

"Excuse me, but I do believe Master Caleb has earned this." I looked over at Clembot to see him holding a small case out towards us. Clemont nodded and stepped in front of the case, popping it open and taking out the sole thing we had come here for.

"Indeed, here you are Caleb, for proving your strength as well as your intelligence by besting me in battle, I hear by award you with the Voltage Badge." Caleb eagerly took the badge from his hands, holding it out in front of him with a giddy smile on his face.

"Thank you so much Clemont" he said, lifting the badge up before his face and pulling out his badge case, planting the Voltage Badge in its respected place, making that the fifth badge in that case. "Three more to go you guys, then we can finally take on the Pokémon League!"

' _You mean till we go and win the Pokémon League'_ I corrected, getting a chuckle from the human and a soft head pat.

"Well, I wish you luck in your journey Caleb, now I would love to talk but I must get back to my shop, I've almost perfected a machine that can practically cut down on the consumption of energy for all of Lumiose City. As you can probably tell, it is very important, so I must bid you all a good day." With that being said, we all went our separate ways. Clemont back to his shop and us back out into the streets of Lumiose City.

"Now how about we all go exploring the city and see if anythings changed" he suggested, releasing all of the team and telling them the plan. He received eager nods from all and barely had time to tell them to be back by sunset before they were basically gone. I'm amazed Yuki went with them instead of sticking around to go to the Pokémon center, but if she was well enough to run that fast, then she'll probably be fine.

' _You taking Lee to the Pokémon center'_ I asked him, receiving a nod.

"Yeah, he fought pretty hard so he'll definitely need his rest." I nodded and started on my way away from him, but was stopped by a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey Aaron...thanks for believing in me, even when I didn't believe in myself." I smiled and took his hand in my paw, squeezing it and putting it to my heart before pushing it back to his.

' _I'll always have faith in you Caleb, remember to have it in yourself sometimes and you'll be unstoppable.'_ He smiled at my comment, disconnecting my paw from his hand and pulled me into a hug. He held me close to him for a few moments, comforting me with soothing emotions of joy and contentment, and finally released me to start on his way towards the Pokémon center.

I smiled and nodded before turning back to the city, preparing to search for the needle in the haystack.

"This is gonna suck" I sighed and began my trek into the city.

 **I know, not my greatest chapter but I wasn't all that much inspired. I apologize for the quality, but I hope you all still enjoyed.**

 **Till next time, Bigshot out.**

 **the name of the video is 'Pokemon trainer O.C. why raise the age' by Marco Hanenbergh.**


	37. Chapter 37

**Yay, I finally got it up, chapter 37 is here WAHOO!**

 **Sorry about the wait y'all, haven't been able to write much in a while, you know, everything deciding it needs my time. On the bright side, one of my longest chapter with about 5,000 words. Hope that can sate y'all till I can get the next one here.**

 **Now please, enjoy.**

* * *

"Please daddy, I just want one!" Kaen whined as my eye twitched ever so slightly.

"Kaen, for the last time, you can't have it" I repeated with a sigh, earning a whimper from the little fire type.

"Why nooot" she whined, a little tear trailing down her eye that I knew was fake. I looked up at the sign and cringed.

"Sweetie, that is a five hundred Poké cookie, I know it may look like it, but I not wearing any pants, where do you think I would keep a wallet, much less five hundred Poké?" I questioned her, making her quit her begging and look at the pastry store in sad envy. She was staring right at the window where a small carrousel of large decorative cookie treats that were way to small for the price they were asking for were sitting. I gave her a small smile and knelt down to pat her head comfortingly.

"I'm sorry baby girl, maybe when we have a bit more money you can have one" I told her, trying my best to cheer her up. My efforts were to no avail as she seemed dead set on staying sad about not being able to get her sweet little treat.

It just happened to be my lucky day though. Not long after I tried to comfort her, I felt something tap me on the shoulder. What I was greeted by was a young brunette woman wearing a knowing smile on her face. I saw her holding out a small pink puff towards me, seemingly knowing all about the situation I was in. I smiled and took the treat from her hand, giving her a bow in thanks and watching her walk off to continue her day.

"You know what sweetheart, I think I might have something better than that little cookie" I said, immediately gaining her full attention. I grinned and handed her the Poképuff, watching her eyes light up at the sight of something sweet. She snatched it from my paw without a second thought, holding the sweet in between her paws and nibbling on it.

"oh tank chou dawdy!" she said with a mouth full of food. I chuckled and picked her up, making sure to keep the puff within her reach, and sat down at a nearby bench to relax while she ate.

"Wonder what the others are up to" I said, more to myself than anyone else. It had been a little over an hour since the battle against Clemont and all of us, excluding Caleb and Lee who were probably still at the Pokémon center, had been exploring the city since then. We all left as a group and somehow we ended up going off to do our own stuff. Yuki and Lilly went off to do their girl stuff while Kaen insisted on spending the whole day with her favorite daddy, like she had any others.

"So good" she cheered between bites as she devoured the last half of the puff before moving over to lay down in my lap and falling asleep with a satisfied burp. I chuckled and stroked her warm fur while I sat back and closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth that the sun blessed me with.

"Mommy look, its so pretty!" I heard a young girl squeal from not to far away. I peeked an eye open to see what she was talking about out of sheer curiosity and saw a familiar looking Absol rubbing up against a small girl while the girl happily petted her, all under the watchful eye of both the mother and, who I presumed to be, her older brother.

'Well, that answers one of my questions' I thought and collected the snoozing Vulpix in my arms and went over to say hey.

"Making some new friends I see" I said, announcing my presence to them all. The disaster Pokémon smiled broadly at the sight of me and licked the girl on the cheek before padding over to me, rubbing her head against mine.

"Hello Aaron, I am glad to have finally found you. I have been searching for quite some time" she said with a happy smile.

"Well, here I am" I chuckled and safely deposited my adopted daughter on her back, feeling like she wanted to hold her since her eyes glanced at her occasionally.

"Are these your friends Absol?" the little girl asked, gaining my attention. I smiled and moved over near her, keeping a respectful distance between us, and kneeling down in front of her. She tilted her head and looked to her mother for approval, to which she nodded while the brother stood next to her, totally slack jawed.

"Hello Mr. Lucario" she smiled and reached a hand out towards me, her palm facing forward. I smiled back and reached out in a similar fashion, touching my paw to her hand.

"I...I can't believe it." I looked over to the boy as he blinked away his surprise and moved to kneel down next to his sibling. "A Lucario, a real, flesh and blood Lucario."

"You appear to be correct" I chuckled and reached a paw out to him as well, allowing him to touch his hand to my paw. The girl decided to take a step further and reached past my paw, placing her palm on my head instead. I purred the best I could from the pleasure, much to the amusement of the girl.

"Aaron, I know you are enjoying the attention, but I was hoping we would be able to get some training in before we have to leave."

"What, eager to get destroyed by everyone's favorite Lucario?" I tittered and gave the girl a pat on the head before standing back up to my full height and looking her right in the eye, a challenge instantly sparking between us.

"You merely had luck on your side, I will win this time, I know it" she replied. I grinned and cracked my paws and gesturing over to the nearby field with a snap of my head.

"Keep telling yourself that." Her eyes narrowed and a small smirk graced her muzzle as she stretched out to pop all the kinks out of her back and trotted over to the middle of the field with me in tow.

"Come on kids, we have a few more places to be, lets leave these nice Pokémon to their battle" the mother told her children as she pulled the little girl along with her son following close behind them.

"Good, no need to worry about collateral damage" I sighed and crouched down in my fighting pose, her doing the same. "On your go."

"Why thank you" she grinned before vanishing from sight and appearing behind me a mere second later. I kicked my leg back, connecting with her paw and flipping up, sending her skidding back to her original location. I smirked at her failed attempt and came rushing at her with Power-Up Punch. Her Night Slash connected with the my punch and our eyes locked as our movements came to a stand still. That is until a sudden Shadow Ball formed between us and launched at me, hitting me and knocking me back a few feet. This gave her plenty of time to come at me with another Night Slash. I smirked and formed a Bone Rush, blocking her attack and knocking her back once again.

"En garde!" I said with a grin, pointing the staff right at her. Her eyes narrowed as she formed another Shadow Ball and shot it towards me, only for me to bat it away with my staff, sending it flying away to harmlessly dissipate into the sky. She shot another and I sent it flying into the trees, knocking down a solid looking Oak. The last one actually caught me off guard, me not thinking she would have sent three in a row, but I was able to hit it with a downward axe swing, splitting the ball in two, both halves bending around and flying off to hit whatever was so I unfortunate to have been behind me at the time.

"Nice try" I chuckled and deformed the bone before widening my stance and taking in a deep breath. That's when a quad set of ethereal swords formed around me, spinning around me before simply disappearing from sight. I suddenly felt stronger, faster, ready for battle.

"My, my, what a surprise" Yuki mused, regarding me curiously. I clenched my paws and flexed the muscles in my arms, surprised from the sudden surge of energy.

"Had to give up Extreme Speed for this one, but I wasn't gonna complain. Caleb told me to use it after the battle, don't know why but he has his reasons and I trust his judgement" I said with a shrug and dropped back down into my fighting stance. "Now shut up and come at me!"

"With pleasure" she grinned and charged at me with another Night Slash. I grinned back and formed another Bone Rush, running back at her. I was fully prepared to make this a repeat performance and it might have ended up being one, had a little intrusion not come into play. My mind wasn't able to process everything that happened so quickly, all I heard was a bang before we were both tethered to the ground by one of the most ensnaring and annoying devices ever created by man, a net.

"WHAT THE HELL!" I shouted in annoyance and anger, fighting to get the net off of me while Yuki squirmed and fought with her four paws pushing up on the net.

"What is this, what is happening" She cried and clawed at the rope to no avail.

"My goodness, that was a bit too easy." Our heads turned to regard the voice as the owner lazily walked over to us. The man was probably in his late twenties, his face nearly hidden by his hood and the ebony black hair that covered up the top half of his face, his left eye peeking out of the blood red lock that rested at the tip. He was also covered in dozens of tools made for the sole purpose of capturing Pokémon. Everything from bolas, nets, chains, and a heavy duty tranquilizer gun hanging from his hip. "Good thing we invested in that net gun."

We said nothing in response, glaring at the man with as much disdain as we could muster. It didn't take a genius to figure out who this guy was, everything about him practically screamed poacher.

"Aww, what's wrong, Purrloin got your tongue, you were so talkative during your battle, which was mighty impressive by the way. You two will definitely catch a fine price, the demand for decent battling Pokémon is actually pretty high on the black market" he said with a grin that I oh so badly wanted to punch off his arrogant face. "Now that I told you what I plan to do with you, I believe it's only fair that you don't squirm too much, it truly is a hassle to have to drag back a Pokémon when they actually think they can escape." I narrowed my eyes and exposed a single fang while a low growl reverberated within my throat, but I still held my tongue. I noticed Yuki doing the same as she once again tried to claw her way out of the net.

' _Calm yourself Yuki, I already have a plan of action, just wait for my word.'_ She gave me a subtle nod and settled herself down, taking a breath to try and fight down her instincts.

"Fantastic, now don't worry, this won't take long" he said and stepped back to the trees and reached down behind it. That's when I noticed that the net was actually still attached to a rope that was now pulling us ever closer to the poacher. "Yes, yes, come my pretties, come and catch me a pretty penny."

' _Lets wait till he brings us to his friends, Pokémon poachers always travel in groups.'_

' _Do you think we will be able to take them?'_ Yuki thought back, a hint of anxiousness in her aura. It was a legitimate concern, for all we knew this guy had a whole army at his back, or simply a small group supporting him. I hoped for the latter, cause this plan was already a risky enough gambit, but we didn't really have much other choice. This net was too strong to be cut by Yuki's claws, and the opening was secured tightly so I couldn't wiggle my paw through it, meaning I was pretty much stuck in this predicament.

"Well, looks like I finally found a pair that actually listens instead of clinging to some kind of false hope, its so...refreshing." I raised a brow at him, but otherwise kept my glare. "Well you definitely understand me, but for some reason you choose not to respond, peculiar, but no matter."

He tied the rope tightly and cut it from the gun, putting the thing behind his back and shrugging the rope onto his shoulder. He looked to struggle a little bit, but somehow managed to drag the two of us along the forest floor towards his camp, or so I guessed.

' _If they don't open the net to let us out, cut the rope with Night Slash, if they do, use Feint Attack to keep them from surrounding you.'_ I said, taking another peek at the man dragging us along, noticing a single Pokéball hanging from his belt.

' _What about you, how will you escape?'_ Yuki asked worriedly. I flexed my paws and began formulating that part of the plan, running though multiple scenarios that could possibly play out.

' _After you get out of range, I'll let loose an aura shockwave, it'll distract them and give me time to get out. Your gonna have to back me up till I recover since the amount of energy necessary to create a pulse large enough to hit them will be massive.'_

It wasn't a full proof plan, but it's the best I could come up with. If we're able to beat them, we can free any Pokémon they may have already captured. It was risky, but it had to be done.

"Don't worry you two, camp ain't too far, soon you'll be able to relax in your own nice little cages" the man said, completely oblivious to the conversation between the two Pokémon he was currently kidnapping.

"Brad, that you?" I heard a male voice shout from ahead, followed by a burly man that I knew had to be the owner. He looked like the stereotypical mountain man, minus the beard but double the muscle.

"Yes Ramon, its me, I brought a couple of guests though" The now identified Brad replied, peeking over his shoulder as us with a satisfied grin. The other man peeked behind his friend, laying his eyes on two rare Pokémon. His smile couldn't get any wider and I could have sworn I saw dollar signs appear in his eyes.

"A Lucario _and_ an Absol! You hit the big time Brad, the Lucario alone could possibly be worth hundreds of thousands of Poké." That actually peaked my interest a little. I was worth that much, I mean I know Lucario were rare, but that was pretty amazing.

"Yeah, the Absol will be worth at least two grand I think, I'm actually tempted to keep the Lucario for myself."

"Like 'ell that'll happen, we still owe for the equipment!" another voice yelled, this one sounding quite feminine, but probably the most intimidating one of them all.

"Relax Roxy, I was just kidding, no way he would have listened to me" Brad shrugged and kept walking forward, meeting up with a muscular blonde woman that looked ready to punch somebody, but I'm pretty sure that was the face she held all the time.

' _That's the whole group, there are only three aura signatures around and there are a few more a few meters away, but they are all radiating fear. At least a dozen Pokémon if I had to guess.'_

"How fast do you think they'll sell?" Ramon asked, looking at us appraisingly.

"Trust me, they definitely won't last all that long, well sell them in less than a week, guaranteed."

"Oh my God, will you lot please shut the bloody hell up" I muttered quietly, though not quiet enough it would seem.

"Oh, so it speaks, had me worried there for a moment" Brad chuckled and dropped the net in favor of crouching down to look at me more closely. "Well come on, tell me what's on your mind Mister Lucario." I growled at his annoying confidence and used my aura to thump him on the head.

"Ow, what the hell" he said while looking all around him until his eyes landed on me once again, a shit eating grin plastered on my muzzle.

"I'm sowwy, did that hewt?" I giggled and stuck my tongue out at him. It did the opposite of the desired effect it would seem. All it did was make the man give me a toothy grin and reached his hand out, patting my stomach happily.

"Expert control of aura, your value just skyrocketed my furry friend"

"Kiss my ass" I growled and forced my arm up to grab his, holding his arm in a death grip. His smile faltered as pain and discomfort radiated from his form. I soon heard the familiar pops of Pokéballs, followed by a large hand grabbing on to my arm and ripping it away from the man.

"Look, don't touch" a deep voice rumbled as a Swampert held me tightly while a Sceptile unraveled the net. I was hoping this would have givin Yuki the chance to escape, but sadly that wasn't going to happen since the Swampert held her down with his other hand.

"Thank you Swampert, now will you please assist me in putting him in the cage, Sceptile can hold down the Absol." As soon as those words were said, I was pulled out by my neck while the Sceptile easily held her down.

"Why the hell are you helping him?" I asked the Swampert, glaring at him with as much malice as I did with his trainer. The Mud Fish Pokémon just shrugged and wrapped an arm around my stomach and held the other two at my sides.

"Just following orders" he said, making sure I was held tightly to him as he walked towards a large container. "Tyranitar, open up the door for me will you."

"Sure thing" said a large bipedal dinosaur Pokémon as it walked in front of Swampert and grabbed onto the latch, lifting the heavy metal door with ease. What I saw behind that door made my blood run cold. Cages upon cages lined the walls, holding dozens of Pokémon of all sizes. Each cage looked to be way to small for the Pokémon it contained, like each one was created to hold that specific Pokémon while using as little room as possible.

"Don't worry buddy, master and his friends are leaving tonight, so you and your friend won't be in the cages long" he said in an attempt to put me a little more at ease, but he obviously didn't think I would actually try and escape after I held still for so long. I wretched my arm from his grip and delivered a strong elbow to his side, receiving a pained groan as he dropped me in a mixture of surprise and pain.

"YUKI NOW!" I shouted, punching the Tyranitar back as it tried grabbing me, making it hit the truck and drop the door back down. I heard the sound of struggle and saw the Sceptile fly over my head, followed by the sound of rope snapping and the Absol joining me at my side moments later.

"That was surprisingly disappointing" Yuki said with a sigh. I didn't reply, my eyes never leaving the three. Their trainers were deathly quiet, but I sensed no fear in their aura.

"Don't let your guard down, we caught them by surprise, we don't know anything about their full strength." She nodded and crouched down, ready to pounce at the first sign of hostility. I simply narrowed my eyes and widened my stance as I watched the three pick themselves back up off the ground and rubbed their respected injuries.

"How cute, they thought they could fight back now" Roxy chuckled as she made her way behind the three, Brad and Ramon following close behind. I growled and glanced over at my friend, her looking right back.

' _You ready, this probably won't be as easy as before"_ I told her receiving a nod as her crouch deepened and her lips curled back into a snarl. She looked about ready to kill, and frankly, it even scared me a little.

' _They will not beat us, we have trained to much to be beaten by weaklings such as them'_ she replied and immediately threw a Psycho Cut at the Sceptile. The Forest Pokémon narrowly blocked it with a Leaf Blade and was about to charge forward with it, had a Bone Rush attack not slammed right into its head.

' _Use Feint Attack on the Swampert, give me an opening on the Tyranitar'_ I ordered, to which she promptly disappeared, then reappeared right behind the Mud Fish Pokémon, dazing him with a swift sucker punch to the back of his head. The attack caught the attention of the Tyranitar, letting me deliver a Power-Up Punch right to his gut. I felt a clawed hand grab me from behind and toss me away from the dark/rock type. I planted a paw to the ground and slid across the dirt, pushing myself up into the air and landing back on my paws. I growled and formed a Bone Rush attack, brandishing it like a staff while the Sceptile crossed its arms, letting the leaves on its arm grow and sharpen.

"Please don't make me do this, I don't want to fight you." The voice was distinctly female as it basically pleaded for me not to resist. I detected no hostility in her voice, just sadness and a hint of regret. She was forced to do this, and she found it less than satisfying for sure.

"If you don't want to do this, then don't" I replied, dropping my stance ever so slightly.

"I am forced to do this, and I am sorry for this." She suddenly jumped as me, her blades drawn back. I planted my feet and pulled back my staff, as she jumped and brought her blades down at me. I brought my staff up to block her blades, gritting my teeth as I strained ever so slightly from the pressure exerted on me from her attack. A blade of purple Psychic energy collided with her soon after, knocking her away from me. I looked over to Yuki, bowing my head in thanks before tossing the staff at the Swampert, who had a fist raised in preparation to attack.

"Were even" I chuckled and elbowed the Sceptile as she charged at me again.

"Tyranitar, just use Earthquake and get this over with" Roxy ordered.

"WHAT!" both Brad and Ramon shouted, catching literally all of our attention.

"If he uses Earthquake, the cages might open, do you really want to risk dealing with a truckload of pissed off Pokémon?" Ramos reasoned with her. She glanced at him for a moment, but showed no signs of changing her mind.

"Use Earthquake!"

'Shit!' I mentally cried and leapt into the nearest tree, grabbing Yuki along the way.

"Hold on tight" I told her and held her securely to my side while my other arm held onto the tree as tightly as possible. I watched as the Tyranitar raise his foot up, holding it there for a moment, then brought it down to the earth as hard as possible. My grip on both tree and Pokémon tightened as the ground cracked and split and shook powerfully. The tree wobbled, but held strong against the attack, but everything else didn't fair much better. The Sceptile and Swampert went flying off of the ground while the truck teetered and swayed, then simply fell over with a crash. After everything had finally settled down, silence took over. The humans were definitely scared as they all held their breath, staring at the truck with fear evident in their aura.

"Oh crap" The Swampert muttered and took a few steps back, taking cover behind the Tyranitar. The Sceptile was pretty much gone as her aura swiftly faded into the distance.

"You alright Yuki?" I questioned her quietly, not wanting to break the tension quite yet.

"I am alright, thank you Aaron" she replied as she jumped from the branch, me following close behind. We shared a look before turning our attention to the people and Pokémon, then to the center of everyone's attention. I heard quiet a bit of rustling coming from the truck, then the sound of metal on metal scraping, then the sound of metal bending. Something in there had escaped, and it was currently either helping the others out, or was clearing its way towards the door.

"Back away...very...slowly" I said, walking backwards without taking my eyes off the truck. More scraping and bending sounded from the truck, followed by a loud banging on the door. Each hit made the door shudder and warp as a large dent formed out from the center.

"Roxy, I think we should go" Brad said urgently, already putting his Swampert into its Pokéball and backing away as quickly as possible. She nodded and returned her Tyranitar, but right before she could even turn around to escape, the door shot off the truck. Their was a mere second of silence before dozens of Pokémon stormed out of the truck like a flood.

"MOVE!" I cried and grabbed Yuki before hiding behind a tree. Attacks of all kinds hit the field, uprooting trees and cracking the ground worse than the Earthquake attack ever could.

"GO, GET OUT OF HERE!" Ramos shouted and dragged Roxy and Brad along with him as he weaved through the trees to avoid the multitude of Pokémon chasing them. The sounds of chaos filtered out in the distance until the field was quiet once again.

"Do you think their gone?" Yuki asked, peeking out from the tree, looking around for any traces of anything. I stepped out from behind the tree and slowly made my way forward, observing the carnage left behind from the confrontation. Carnage actually wouldn't begin to describe what was left, it looked like an army just said screw it and bombed the crap out of the entire area. Trees were strewn about here and there, the ground was barely even presentable as ground, more like shrapnel littering the field, and in the center of it all, was the truck.

"I think their gone, I don't sense any other aura signatures around" I answered. I gestured her forward and walked towards the truck. What I was expecting to find, I didn't know, but my curiosity made me check it out.

"Guard the door, don't want anything sneaking up behind us" I ordered, receiving a nod before I stepped into the truck. The feeling of cold metal against my paw made a shiver run through my spine and smell almost made me vomit.

"They must have trapped in here for weeks" I whispered, running a paw over the bars of the cages above me. One cage immediately caught my attention as it stood out from all the others. It was padded, like a room in an insane asylum. It was also the only door that remained closed.

'How peculiar' I thought and felt around for the cage handle. I felt a small bump and grinned, sliding the lock open and slowly open the cage. My eyes widened as I finally saw what the cage was hiding, a sight that made my blood boil.

"They stole an egg" I growled and secured the egg as I let the cage open the rest of the way. I looked down at the little egg, feeling great sadness for the parent that had their unborn child taken away from them.

"They stole what?" Yuki asked, entering the truck after hearing my small outburst. Her eyes widened and her hackles raised in anger. Seems she shared my sentiment.

"It doesn't matter now, those three have over a hundred problems right now, we have to get this egg to Caleb, let him figure out what to do." She nodded in agreement and stepped closer, examining the egg thoroughly.

"At least it wasn't damaged, I'll go find Caleb, take it to the Pokémon center and have it checked out. We can't risk even the smallest crack being left on its shell."

"Right" I nodded and watched her speed off through the trees back towards the city. It was now only me and the egg left in that clearing, along with a few Pokémon that were brave enough to investigate the noises, but I paid them no mind. I simply stared at the egg for a while, form what reason, I will never know. That's when a little thought entered my head and I nearly facepawed.

"Wait a minute, Yuki ran off that way, but we came from that way...oh crap, YUKI!" Looks like that visit to the Pokémon center would have to wait. Time to play hide and seek with Absol...fun.

* * *

 **There you go, another chapter. Hopefully I can get the next one up quicker. Sorry if it kind of drops in quality near the end, I'm just a little burned out.**

 **Till next time.**


	38. Chapter 38

**38, up and running, woohoo! Read on my lovely readers, hope you enjoy.**

* * *

"Are you sure it was such a good idea to bring the egg along with us?" Lee asked while he watched Caleb wrap the egg up in some blankets and bubble wrap before stowing it safely into his bag.

"Dude, it's an egg, what's the worst that could happen?" I asked. He glanced my way for a second before looking back at the bag with a nervous gaze.

"I have a really bad feeling about when it hatches, what if some hideous creature or a monster that wants to steal our souls hatches out of it?"

I just stared at him with a deadpan look, then looked over at Yuki who was doing pretty much the same thing. He shook his head in exasperation and threw his arms up in disbelief.

"Whatever, but when that thing hatches into some kind abomination, its on you" he said and leapt for my trainers belt, returning himself back into his Pokéball. Yuki looked in my direction, seeing me just shrug and walk over to my trainer.

' _Where are we heading boss man?'_ I asked my human companion, stretching my arms up into the air. He flipped his Pokédex open and tapped it a few times with his stylus, tapping it on his chin a few times in the process.

"Looks like we have to go through route 14, otherwise known as the Laverre Nature Trail. Cut through there and it should be a straight shot to Laverre City. I'm gonna need you to train even more intensely then usual. It's a Fairy type gym so your gonna act as the buffer in case things go wrong."

' _Sounds like a plan...but I have an offer for you first"_ I said, immediately catching his interest.

"What you got for me?" he asked curiously. I simply smiled and grabbed his hand before dragging him over to a nearby billboard, picking off a flyer and pressing it to his chest. He snatched it up and skimmed over it, his eyes lighting up when he saw what it was advertising.

"500,000 Poké...my Arcues, do you know what this means?"

' _We'll have 500,000 Poké to blow through'_ I replied, an excited grin forming on my face. He looked back at the flyer, eyes skimming over it as a large smile adorned his face.

" tournament, bring your strongest Pokémon and show your strength to the world...this is…this is going to be televised across the region!" he shouted, practically leaping up and down in joy.

' _Good, maybe we'll end up becoming famous.'_ I grinned and rubbed my paws together, imagining all of the attention we would be getting. True it might not have been all good, what with Sunburst running around, but imagine all of the trainers eager to challenge us to test their strength.

"Do not be getting too confident, there is still the chance you will not win, their will be tough trainers from all over the region competing" Yuki reminded, to which I just grinned wider and punched my fists together.

"Good, I haven't had a proper challenge lately, I need some excitement." Lilly giggled and wrapped an arm around my waist.

"Please Yuki, there's no way anyone could match up with Aaron here, the ace of this team can overpower any competitor." I smiled and kissed the top of her head, whispering a thank you into her large ear.

"Aaron, we gotta go now, the signups are starting soon!" he practically shouted, quickly returning everyone into their balls and sprinting off towards the competition, me right on his tail.

* * *

 **"WELCOME ONE AND ALL TO THE 74** **TH** **ANNUAL LUMIOSE CITY BATTLE COMPETITION**!" a man called into his microphone as the crowd around the battlefield cheered from the stands that surrounded it. Me and Caleb looked out in total aww at the sheer number of people and Pokémon that showed up to watch the spectacle.

"I suddenly feel very nervous" Caleb gulped, his hands rubbing together nervously. I grinned and patted the guy on the back, holding my paw out towards him. He smiled weakly and bumped his fist against mine before returning his attention towards the speaker, who had finally decided to continue speaking.

" **WE ARE JUST MOMENTS AWAY FROM ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING AND THRILLING SPECTACLES IN KALOS, ALL COMPETITORS PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO CHOOSE YOUR BATTLE BUDDY, YOU HAVE EXACTLY TEN MINUTES STARTING...NOW!** " Those words alone sent the entire collection of participants into a frenzy, trying to find a strong partner to help them through the tournament. Seeing as how I was a Lucario, a rare and usually powerful Pokémon, their were a number of people swarming my trainer, trying to get him to partner up with them. He turned to me for guidance, receiving nothing but a shake of my head. He denied every single one of them one after the other, all at my discretion, while I let my eyes scan the crowd. No one caught my interest for the longest time until my eyes landed a very familiar boy and fox duo. They looked pretty depressed as they looked all around, trying to find a partner when no one volunteered to help him

' _Caleb, over there'_ I called, pointing towards the depressed kid. Caleb looked over at him, a small smile forming on his face as he made his way through the crowd, heading towards the boy with me by his side.

"Hey man, you wanna team up?" The boy and the Zorua instantly perked up and turned around, laying eyes on us, their eyes instantly lighting up when they landed on me.

"Oh my, Mr. Lucario, is that you!" Zorua shouted, leaping from her trainers arms and running towards me, jumping up into my arms instead. Caleb watched the scene in confusion as Zack made his way over towards us.

"Hi, my names Zack" Zack introduced himself, sticking his hand out towards Caleb. My trainer turned his attention towards the kid, taking the offered hand.

"I'm Caleb...do you know what's going on between those two?" He asked, referring to the two of us as Zorua cuddled up to my chest.

"Oh yeah, your Lucario there saved us from a couple goons a few weeks ago. Me and Zorua really appreciated it." Caleb nodded and smiled at the kid.

"That's good...so do you still wanna team up?" my trainer asked again, receiving a depressed look from Zack.

"Are you sure you wanna team up with me...I'm not that good of a trainer, the only Pokémon I could ever truly get to listen to me was Zorua." I raised a brow, setting Zorua down on the ground and walking over towards Zack. I placed a paw on his shoulder and closed my eyes, letting my aura sensors rise up as I transferred a comforting aura to his own.

"Don't put yourself down man, true greatness doesn't come from ones skills, it comes from their determination and their will to never give up" Caleb told him, offering his hand out for another handshake. Zack smiled and grabbed his hand, agreeing to the partnership. Their were a few mutters from the crowd that gathered around us, voicing their disappointment just enough where the other humans wouldn't hear them.

" **Battlers, I hope you all chose your partner's, because the competition is now under way."** The announcer shouted, garnering everyone's attention. He looked down at the clipboard in his hands, then to us before settling his eyes back in the crowd. **"Will 5, 7, 22, and 17 please take your places on the battlefield, all other competitors please make your way to the strands."**

' _What number are we?'_ I asked my trainer looked down at the little slip of paper, reading off the number 35. I nodded and followed him to the stands with Zack and Zorua following close behind us.

"Be honest, what do you think our chances are?" Caleb asked me quietly, receiving nothing but a shrug in response. "Wow, your helpful."

' _I'm not going to fill your mind with thoughts of us blowing through this competition like its nothing. We might very well get our asses kicked, there are several experienced trainers here that may outrank us by a mile. I am simply trying to be realistic.'_ I glanced at him from the corner of my eye as we all sat down among the crowd. He nodded and looked down at the field, watching as the announcer called out the match, which was a Gardevoir and Gallade pair against an Arcanine and Golem. Seemed like a pretty boring match so I leaned my head on Caleb's arm, closing my eyes and trying to rest up for our match.

"How are you so calm?" I cracked an eye open to look down at the little Zorua, who was looking back up at me from her trainers lap.

"No point in worrying about it, just roll with the punches, we'll deal with whatever comes our way." I shrugged and nestled up closer against my trainer, feeling his arm wrap around my shoulders. I could of swore I heard a few awws from the people behind us, no doubt thinking this little scene to be overly adorable. If they did, I paid them no mind, my attention instead drawn back to the battlefield after an explosion rocked the entire area.

" **Oh dear,I see the pressure was far to much for Ryan. Ordering your Pokémon to self-destruct so soon in a battle...but wait..."** He squinted hard to see through all of the smoke, quickly gaining a look of surprise. **"Ladies and gentlemen, it would seem that all the Pokémon on the field are unable to battle"** I snorted and closed my eyes again, letting my aura sight pierce the veil of smoke to see all of the Pokémon laying down in crumbled heaps, unmoving except for the rise and fall of their chests...and whatever the Golem had.

' _That was extremely idiotic, he is obviously not worthy of being a trainer if his first thought is to use self-destruct.'_

"Agreed, least we didn't have to fight them off the bat, we might have been taken out of the competition instead of them...course I'm sure you can knuckle through a self-destruct attack."

' _I'd rather not discover if this is true anytime soon.'_

" **Well any way you look at it folks, it's a heck of a way to start off this competition. Now can numbers 67, 42, 96, and 5 please come onto the field."**

"How do they know who's partnered with who?" I didn't bother opening my eyes again and pointed up at a powerful aura signature, which just so happened to be an Alakazam sitting cross legged on top of a pillar on the other side of the field. "Oh, so there probably reading our minds right now"

"That or someone watched us all and figured out who were with." Caleb said, watching the ensuing battle with fierce intensity. He studied every move each battler ordered, memorizing their strategies and gauging their strengths and weaknesses.

"You think we'll be next?" Zack asked nervously, his hands nervously ruffling his little Zorua's neck fur. Caleb patted his shoulder encouragingly, trying his best to comfort his nervous partner.

"I hope it is, I can wait to get out their and show them how strong I am" Zorua shouted, bouncing around is, nipping each of us at least once, all before tackling Zack and softly nibbling on his throat. The kid giggled like crazy and hugged his Zorua friend, earning a smile from yours truly.

'They obviously have a very strong bond, hopefully that helps him in the battle to come.' I stared at the scene for a moment longer before I looked to the battlefield where a Houndoom and Ninetales were currently locked in a flamethrower battle while a Wartortle and a Ivysaur were simultaneously beamed into their respective Pokéballs. In the end, they both tired themselves out before either could really do any damage to each other...until the Ninetales rammed into the Houndoom with a Quick attack and delivered a Crunch attack to its neck. Only one of the moves were actually effective, but the fatigue from the little duel earlier must have been to much since it fainted after both attacks hit.

" **In a clutch victory, Emily and Raiden pulled through with the win, congratulations to the both of you"** the man congratulated them and watched them walk off the field with proud smiles. **"All right, next up we have numbers 65, 1, 77, and 35. Battlers, come on up!"**

"Looks like were up" Caleb said, lifting himself from the bleachers, stretching a little. Zack did the same, Zorua smiling at him with a paper labeled 77 in her jaws.

 **Line Break**

"You ready for this bud?" Caleb smiled and held his fist out towards me. I bumped his fist with mine as a smirk adorned my muzzle.

' _Always, lets do this.'_ He nodded and ordered me onto the field, Zorua standing beside me.

"A Flareon and a Machoke, quite the combination for me to be fighting" I growled and got down into my fighting stance.

"Don't worry Aaron, I can keep the Flareon off your back, you can deal with the Machoke" Zorua said, to which I nodded and calmed my nerves, planting a paw to the ground and looking down with my eyes closed. My muscles tensed as the Swords Dance surrounded me, feeling the energy flow though my body. I looked up to see the Machoke bearing down at me with it's fist raised and glowing with pure energy. I raised my own paw up to block the attack with a Power-Up Punch and roundhoused the Machoke right in the face with a Blaze Kick, dazing it and allowing me to deliver a Power-Up Punch right to its gut...right before getting launched back by a powerful flamethrower.

"Ouch..." I groaned and picked my head up from the dirt, looking at Zorua as she looked back at me with an apologetic expression. I sighed and jumped back onto my paws and rubbed my arm where the attack hit. It was a little scorched, but otherwise uninjured, meaning I was still in this full strength.

"Use Seismic Toss!" Before I even knew what was happening, I felt something grab my arms and lift me into the air. I gulped and looked down at the Machokeas it looked back at me with an evil grin.

'This is gonna hurt' I clenched my teeth and glared down at the Superpower Pokémon, right before a Dark Pulse hit it in the side of the head. It cringed and quickly turned to regard its attacker, its first mistake. I took the moment of distraction to kick it in the stomach with another Blaze Kick, making it drop me in pain before being thrown back by a Bone Rush hitting it like a baseball bat.

I grinned at Zorua in thanks before throwing my bone staff at the Flareon before it could hit her with a Flare Blitz.

"Try and make it use Flare Blitz more, its taking serious damage from its own attack. It is already down quite a bit of strength after taking both the recoil and the Bone Rush." I told her, jumped to the side to dodge a Power-Up Punch.

"Dark Pulse again!" Zack cried while Caleb ordered me to charge them with another Bone Rush. I recognized this strategy instantly, she was the ranged and I was the tank.

'Knew they would make a good team' I mentally chuckled and jumped attacked the Machoke with a pair of bone staffs. I growled and shoulder bashed the fighting type and back flipped over another Flamethrower attack.

' _I need some of this heat off of me, I can't dodge and attack efficiently while their focused on me.'_ I told Caleb and twirled my bone staff to absorb the following Flamethrower. I planted the staff into the ground and pushed myself into the air to avoid the a Brick Break attack that nearly shattered the ground like glass.

"Fire Blast!"

"Shit!" There was no way I could dodge this, I was in midair with nothing to push off of, so I just closed my eyes and prepared for the pain. There was pain, but strangely there was no burning, it didn't even hurt that much. That when I realized it was slightly cold...meaning it had to be a dark type attack.

I planted a paw to the dirt, pushing off to land back on my paws to see Zorua smiling at me triumphantly, the Fire Blast flying off into the sky harmlessly.

"Great job girl!"

"Aaron, Blaze Kick behind you!" I quickly did so, not taking the time to worry over what happened and donkey kicked the Machoke who was trying to sneak up behind me with a Cross Chop at the ready. I followed up with a Power-Up Punch uppercut that sent it flying into the sky with a Bone Rush following close behind it.

"No, Machoke!" The mons trainer yelled as he watched his partner plummet to the ground and connect with a loud thud.

" **Machoke is unable to battle, looks like its all up to Alisa to win this fight, will she conquer the odds and pull out the victory, or will this be too much for her and her Flareon!?"**

The young girl, now identified as Alisa, clenched her fists and glanced at me and Zorua in fear. I looked at her for a second before calmly sitting down cross legged and held my paws out in front of me, gesturing for then to continue.

"Aaron, what are you doing?" Caleb questioned.

' _No point in ganging up on a single opponent, beside, I wanna see what Zack and Zorua do when its one on one.'_

"...Alright Zack, looks like its all yours" Caleb told him and placed his hands in his pockets.

"R-really...alright, I won't let you down! Zorua, Shadow Ball!"

"You got it." She spread her paws and quickly launched a ball of ghostly energy at the Flareon, to which is used double team to dodge and close in on her.

"Flamethrower!" the girl ordered, causing the battlefield to be lit up like a Christmas tree as dozens of fire streams closed in on the little dark type. They all hit her directly where the girl wanted, kicking up smoke and dirt to hide the fact if she was out of not. When it all cleared, Zorua was no where to be seen, making me smile as I watched her with my aura sense. She had used her illusions to distract the trainer while she closed in on Flareon, hitting the Flame Pokemon in the back with a Shadow Claw. The Pokémon cried out in pain before being launched forward by a Dark Pulse, making it tumble across the ground before coming to a stop on it's back with swirls in its eyes.

" **Flareon is unable to battle, looks like the match goes to Caleb and Zack, congratulation to you and your Pokémon!"** The announcer said, making Zorua run back and tackle a smiling Zack in a hug while I calmly walked up to my trainer with a grin.

' _Piece of Cake'_ I told him, getting a chuckle and a ear scratch in response.

"Yeah, yeah, don't be getting cocky. Come on, let's get to the stands and let you two rest up for the next match" he said and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I smiled and nodded, letting him lead me up to the stands, getting multiple congratulations from the trainers, who's Pokémon may or may not have flirted with me a little. It appears strength is very attractive in the Pokémon society.

A certain fire type heard all of these remarks though, and popped out of her Pokéball, wrapping an arm around my waist possessively while growling at any Pokémon who even thought about getting close or hitting on me.

"Mine!" she growled at a female Blaziken who had tried to grab my paw. I chuckled at her actions and let myself be held by my overly possessive mate, my eyes closing as I snuggled into her warm chest and letting my mind drift into nothingness as I fell into slumber.

* * *

 **Don't forget to review and click that fave button. Each click gives me more incentive to write just a little bit faster and you earn an imaginary cookie. It also makes me feel a little bit better about myself as a person. So please don't be shy, I want you to let your voice be heard.**


	39. Chapter 39

**Yeah, I planned on this tournament being multiple chapters long, but I'm way too lazy for that to happen. Plus, this would have been out sooner had I not had to rewrite it after it mysteriously got deleted, but I finally finished this up, not as good as the original honestly, but I still can't wait to hear what y'all think.**

* * *

"Son of a bitch that hurt" I groaned and rubbed my temple, shaking off the effect of the Confusion attack. The Alakazam looked at me with a hard stare, its calm green eyes lost in the sea of purple as I felt myself being lifted off of the ground.

'Crap, this is gonna hurt' I braced myself for pain, but instead of flying off into the sunset like I had originally thought would happen, I was instead dropped onto my paws following the sounds of an explosion. I peeked an eye open to see the Alakazam flying back towards its trainer and a angry Zorua right in front of me, standing there in a protective posture.

"Again, I owe you one" I said while giving her a thumbs up, which she returned by flashing me a large smile and moving to stand by my side.

"They always underestimate me because of my size, that is one of the biggest mistakes they can ever make" she said before closing her eyes, her face scrunching up in concentration before an evil smile replaced it. I followed her lead and closed my eyes, activating my Swords Dance to meet her Nasty Plot, strengthening ourselves before the enemy recovers.

"Aggron, use Earthquake!"

I didn't even think twice before grabbing Zorua and leaping as high in the air as I could, using Bone Rush to throw myself higher to avoid the literally earth shattering attack.

"When I tell you to, use Dark Pulse on me" I told her, receiving a nod before I threw her back and twisted around to face the massive steel\rock type. "NOW!"

Not even a second after, I sensed the dark energy shooting towards me. I flattened myself out and let the Dark Pulse hit my paws, launching me towards Aggron with both paws out and glowing in orange energy. It didn't have time to react before I hit it directly in the face with a double Power-Up Punch, knocking it out instantly. I leapt off of the unconscious Iron Armor Pokémon to avoid a Psycho Cut and flipped back in the air before charging the Psi Pokémon with a Bone Rush. I felt my paws leave the ground for a second before I threw the Bone Rush at it, forcing it to released its hold on me to dodge, leaving it open for a hard Blaze Kick to the gut, making it skid back before being knocked out by a Shadow Ball soon after.

"Alright, we won" Caleb cheered, high giving Zack while me and Zorua looked at each other before promptly falling on our asses.

"Getting harder and harder...how many more matches are there till the finals?" Zorua asked tiredly, her eyes trying their hardest to close, especially the one that held a large bruise from a Metal Claw attack.

"That was the semifinals, the next match will decide the tournament, thank the lord all mighty" I sighed and pushed myself back onto my paws, limping over to my trainer with Zorua trailing behind me, one of her paws lifted in the air, probably sprained.

" **Quite an impressive performance from both sides, don't you think so ladies and gentleman?"** loud cheers and applause follows the announcers words. **"Well just wait folks, the final battle of the tournament will soon be shown across all of Kalos, now all competitors will have one hour to heal your Pokémon and prepare for the battle, please do not be late, failure to show up will be considered a forfeit. Your one hour starts...now!"**

' _Pokémon center, now'_ I practically ordered him before leaning against him, using him as support. Zorua merely nudged her trainer, prompting him to pick her up carefully before we all made our way to the center.

* * *

"Your Pokémon has been fully healed, we hope to see you again" Nurse Joy smiled after helping me and Zorua off of the stretcher. I bowed to her in thanks before taking my place at my trainers side, Zorua jumping back into Zack's arms.

"How you feeling buddy?" Caleb asked, receiving a grin before I punched my paws together.

' _I'm ready to crack some skulls!'_ I replied, trying to look as fierce as possible, right before my façade faded away from the feeling of his fingers scratching behind my ears.

"I bet you are, we made it to the finals and I bet that fighting type in you is raring to go." I nodded and offered my paw to him, receiving a fist bump, before he pulled me into a surprise hug. I blinked and hugged him back, still confused about the sudden show of affection.

"Sorry bud...kind of got lost in the moment there...I'm just so proud of you for helping me make it this far." I smiled and patted his back before breaking and stepping up in front of Zack. I looked the boy right in the eye, smiling as I bowed without breaking eye contact. He looked slightly confused, but bowed back nonetheless. Zorua caught on quickly and bowed back, quickly jumping up onto my shoulder and nuzzling me affectionately.

"Ready to win this?" Zorua grinned, receiving a nod right before she tugged on my ear playfully.

"Lets do this man" Caleb grinned, a frown quickly replacing it after hearing a sigh instead of a hell yeah like he had expected. Instead, Zack only looked down with a frown, anxiously rubbing his arm. "Something wrong?"

"I'm nervous...I could power past the pressure at first...but now I'm starting to feel it" he admitted, casting his eyes up at Caleb, fear evident in his deep brown eyes. Zorua was instantly at his side, nuzzling and licking him to try and improve his spirits. He smiled and petted the little fox, a small twinkle in his eye. "But I can do it...as long as I have my best friend with me."

"That's what I like to hear, we still have a half hour till the match starts, I would ask if you wanted to battle to pass the time, but I don't think that would be very wise since we need to be at our best."

"Why don't we relax for awhile, I know this great burger place around here, we can all grab a bite before the battle" Zack suggested, to which we all nodded and made to follow him to our next destination.

"I wonder if its one of those places that don't serve Pokémon, I hope it isn't, I haven't had a burger since Shalour." I licked my lips at the mere thought of getting my paws on that tasty piece of Miltank...that sounded very wrong now that I think about it, but whatever.

"Aaron, come on man, your falling behind!" I heard Caleb shout, ripping me from my thoughts as I ran back beside them, following them with the promise of tasty human food.

' _We need to talk'_ I suddenly heard from inside my head, stopping me in my tracks. Caleb noticed my sudden halt, stopping as well and looking at me confusedly.

"Something wrong bud?" he asked, catching Zack's attention as well. I focused my aura sense to get a bead on her location before running off in that direction, telling Caleb to go on without me for now. He trusted me not to be late, so he nodded and gestured for them to keep on moving.

* * *

"What's go you in such a fit?" I asked the floating pink feline in front of me. Her paws were nervously fiddling with her tail as her face held a firm grimace. I could feel the anxiety coming off of her in waves, enough to actually make me a little nauseous.

"We have a very, very, big problem...Sunburst has struck again" she told me, her grip on her tail tightening ever so slightly. I blinked in confusion, tilting my head curiously.

"So, what could they have possibly done to make you so nervous, they blow up a city or something?" She shook her head and actually sat on the ground while her paws went from wringing her tail to rubbing her temple like she was trying to alleviate a headache.

"Helios has gotten bold...Arceus sent out the legendary Johto trio to try and scout out their HQ...they went dark not too long ago, we fear they may have been captured."

"...Okay, that's a cause for concern...so your telling me that Suicune, Raikou, and Entei are gone from your ranks and possibly now fill that slot for Sunburst?" She nodded, making my blood suddenly run cold. "...Fuck."

The simple statement caused Mew to subtly flinch, her paws going back to wringing her tail.

"I know what just went through your head, and hopefully it doesn't come down to that, we are all doing our best to keep them away from you and your family...but should we fail...it might come down to you all to beat us."

"Stay away from them, the risk of you all getting captured is to great, and God forbid I have to fight all of you. I am a regular Lucario, not a legendary, I can't fight you all at once, I'd get slaughtered, as well as the rest of my family." I winced once those words left my mouth. I'd like to think I'm invincible, just like a lot of others at my age, but what these days I spent with Caleb and the others fully reminded me that I'm still mortal, I still bleed.

"You know we can't do that Aaron, we can't leave the fate of the planet in the hands of a Lucario and his friends. You may be our Champion, but this is to much for even a chosen." I sighed at her explanation, begrudgingly agreeing with her words.

"Then please stay discreet, I don't need a captured legendary making my job any harder than it already is."

"Agreed...for now let us handle things, if your needed I will contact you again, until then, I believe your in for quite the surprise when you get back to your trainer" she giggled before giving me a farewell hug and teleporting back to wherever she goes. I tilted my head curiously, wondering what surprise she could be talking about.

"Meh, don't think about it Aaron, just go with it" I reminded myself and sprinted back towards my trainer, soon coming up to a small burger joint with about a dozen or so trainers and Pokémon milling about, inside and out. I scanned the crowd for Caleb, instead I found the entire team sitting at a table with the egg in the very middle.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" I asked them curiously, catching my daughter mid-air and strolling over to them, my eyes not leaving the egg.

"Caleb told us to watch the egg while he got us all some food, we heard noises coming from it earlier, we think its going to hatch soon." Lilly told me, her eyes returning to the egg. She reached out and rubbed the shell softly, another little noise coming out soon after. A look of realization came over me as Mew's words rang through my head.

"Your gonna have quite a surprise when you get back to your trainer." I instantly ducked under the table, much to the surprise of the others, and hid there as the sounds of an egg cracking filled my ears, followed by a flash of light made the others cover their eyes to avoid going blind.

I kept my eyes closed till it was all over, peeking over the edge of the table to identify the Pokémon that had finally hatched. What greeted me was a little ball of brown and white fluff looking all around curiously until its newborn eyes landed on a certain Kirlia.

"Oh crap" I whispered before those infamous words left its muzzle.

"Mommy." Lee rubbed his eyes and turned towards the newborn Pokémon, returning its gaze before a look of horror graced his visage.

"Oh no."

"MOMMY" the eevee shouted before tackling Lee, rubbing and nuzzling the Psychic\Fairy type while he sat there, completely petrified.

Me...I was on my ass laughing harder than I ever head before. This was straight up hysterical and that little eevee constantly calling him mommy just made it even funnier.

"Oh...oh my God! This is fucking hilarious!" I giggled, a tear coming to my eye while Kaen watched me happily, jumping down and rolling with me, probably thinking it was some kind of game.

"Aaron, language!" Lilly scolded, but couldn't hide the look of amusement clear on her muzzle.

"I did tell you that you did look remarkably like a female" Yuki tittered, watching the little eevee nuzzle it's alleged mother with barely controlled laugher.

"S-shut up" Lee stuttered before holding the newborn at arms length, looking it right in the eyes. His eyes glowed for a second before returning to their normal violet.

"It now knows I am a male, but it still thinks I am its father...crap" he sighed and allowed the little kit to nuzzle him again. I grinned and patted him on the back, receiving a growl and evil eye in return, which just made me want to laugh again.

"Ah, don't worry man, it's not all that hard" I told him. He raised a brow and held the eevee out towards me.

"Then would you like me to rewrite this eevee's memory to imprint on you instead?" I stood there silent for a minute, wondering if he could actually do that. "Well, would you?"

"The answer is...HELL NO!" I laughed, not wanting anymore kits to deal with. As I'd proving my point, Kaen leaped up onto my lap and nuzzled up to my chest, licking my chest spike in the process.

"Oh come on, what's one more child for the expert of child care?" he teased, shaking the eevee softly and offering it to me once again.

"No thanks, I already have to deal with two girls, not even gonna attempt to take care of a third."

"Girl?" He turned the kit around to face him, his eyes journeying south before snapping back up the top with a horrified expression. "Oh Arceus, did I just?"

I couldn't help but chuckle and take the kit from him while he rubbed his eyes furiously.

"Dude, it's a kit, no one cares...unless the female anatomy horrifies you so" I teased, making him look up at me with a mix of anger and annoyance.

"I'm not afraid if female anatomy as you call it, I simply do not wish to see it!"

"So you would prefer to see the males organ over the females?" I grinned, passing the little kit over towards Lilly, Kaen following as I stood up fully and leaned down towards the little Kirlia. "Perhaps you would like to see me drop these shorts, hmm?"

"I have to go!" be practically yelled and ran away from all of us, me in particular, with a wild blush plastered on this pale cheeks. I doubled over in laughter, placing a paw on Yuki for support after it started to hurt.

"Oh dear God, I'm dying" I giggled while wiping a tear from my fur eye.

"There you are Aaron, What's so funny...and where's Lee?" I heard Caleb ask as he headed towards us, a couple trays of food in his hands. I just started laughing harder and fell onto my paws and knees, my sides starting to truly ache and burn. Zorua appeared in my vision soon after, looking up at me curiously while tapping me with a paw. I took a few deep breaths, a few more giggles escaping me before I was finally able to calm down.

"What's so funny buddy?"

' _Don't worry about it Caleb, its nothing, just a joke'_ I told him, a smile still plastered on my muzzle. He shrugged and laid all of the food down on the table, making my mouth water.

"Eat up everyone, especially you Aaron, that's a protein and zinc burger, it won't taste amazing, but its better than the powder I poured on the Poképellets." I looked at him horrified.

' _You would dare to ruin this delicacy with that vile Garbodor excrement! For shame sir, for shame!'_ I growled before grabbing my suddenly very unappetizing burger and taking a bite, instantly gagging. I was right, the meat tasted like it was injected with Muk and Trubbish byproducts. I heard another gag and saw Zorua trying not to hack up her burger.

"What did they put on yours?"

"Calcium, a little Iron as well." Felt sorry for her, Iron was by far the worst tasting vitamin. "Oh cool, the egg hatched."

"Yep, Lilly, why don't you hand her over to Caleb" she nodded and tapped the boy on the shoulder, offering the little kit to him. He took her happily, seeming to already know what happened, and held her in his arms while she investigated him curiously.

"Hey there little girl, welcome to the world" he told her, rubbing her chest and fluffing up her mane, much to her enjoyment. She murred happily and licked his arm in thanks, picking herself up and nuzzling up under his chin.

' _I think she likes you'_ I said, taking another bite of this puke burger. He smiled and nodded, letting her shower him in affection while he ate. I felt a furry arm reach around to hug my waist as a furry went settled on my shoulder and another on my lap. I didn't even have to look to know that Lilly and Kaen had showed up to try and calm me or something since my aura was probably pretty irritable, reflecting my current emotion.

' _Caleb, I don't care if you are my trainer, make me eat something like this again, and I am going to punch you in the dick.'_ I stated and took another bite, letting my annoyance show as I entered a sort of star in contest with them boy. He just smirked and held up a bottle of Protein, making my eyes narrow.

"Be very careful with your next move kid" I growled before feeling a paw rubbing my back soothingly and watching Caleb cower as felt rather than saw the fire in Lilly's eyes. He may not be scared of the rest of us, but Lilly was a whole different story. She's like that one person you wouldn't guess could fight, but you still would be terrified to piss them off.

"I'll be good" he whimpered, causing Lilly to return to her normal cheery self and put her head back on my shoulder.

"So Caleb, what are you gonna name her?" Zack asked, finally breaking the silence that seemed to settle over us. He looked down at the eevee with a thoughtful look as a dozen names probably went though his head.

"I'm not sure yet, I'll have to see what name suits her since I don't know what she wants to be when she evolves, or if she even wants to evolve." He shrugged and bopped her nose, making her squeal in delight as she batted and nipped at his hand. "Speaking of which, I still need to capture her." He quickly snatched a ball from his bag and held it out towards the eevee, who eyed it curiously before tapping the center button with her nose, making it's suck her in as the ball instantly clicking to signal she was captured.

"Now that that's out of the way, the rest of you need to return, we need to head back to the tournament...where's Lee and Yuki?"

"Right here" I heard Yuki shout, a depressed looking Lee riding on her back. Caleb looked at Lee worriedly before looking at his Pokédex, his eyes widening.

"I'll figure out what's going on later, we need to go now!" he said, quickly returning everyone to their respective balls and sprinting off towards the field at a speed faster than Zack could ever achieve. I sighed and picked the kid up, Zorua still in his arms, and chased after my trainer.

* * *

 **The egg hatched, YAY! Thanks to** **AoECyberTger for the idea of an eevee as the last member of Caleb's team. Now I know what you may be thinking, 'an eevee that's so boring and overused', but don't worry, we have a plan. You'll see what it is later in the story, but for now, you'll all have to deal with an adorable little eevee that everyone in the real world loves and wants.**

 **Anyway, I'll try and update soon as I can, no promises about the time of said update.**

 **Happy early new year, let's show 2018 who's boss.**

 **And as always, leave those favs and especially those reviews, I read them all, believe it or not. So please leave plenty for me**

 **See y'all later, Bigshot, out.**


	40. Chapter 40

**Hey guys, I'm finally back, sorry it took so long. I've been busy with work and all that, plus I've been both lazy and active in different ways. I've been busy reading literally the longest story ever created by man. Just look up the longest fanfiction ever and you'll find it. it's a Super Smash Bros fanfiction, so feel free to check it out of you want.**

 **I've also been experiencing extreme writers block, and it seriously sucks, and when I do have an idea to go forward, I can word it right or I am to busy to write. Hopefully I can get another chapter of one of my stories up, so wish me luck.**

 **Now, enjoy the read.**

* * *

" **Hello everyone here and those viewing from home, to the final battle of the Lumiose City Battle Competition. This is the moment we have all been waiting for as the best of the best in the competition go head to head in one last brawl. Who will emerge victorious? Its time to find out. Will all challengers please make their way onto the battlefield."**

"I understand the concept of an announcer, but couldn't he stop being a hype man for five minutes" I sighed, rubbing my temple after the harsh noise of the speakers assaulted my sensitive ears. Zorua was thinking much the same I guessed since she was currently lying on the ground, covering her ears with her paws.

"I know bud, its annoying to us to but you need to focus, I need you at your best so calm your nerves and pay attention." Caleb told me and reached out to pet me softly. I nodded and rolled my shoulder, cracking my neck and reaching out to Caleb with my aura. I felt him shiver a little and smiled up at him.

' _I'm ready, let's do this.'_ He grinned and patted me on the back, my aura instilling a whole new brand of confidence in him.

"Get on out there and show them what you can do." I nodded and steeled my gaze at the two Pokémon that were to be our opponents, a Greninja and a Infernape, interesting duo.

"I suddenly have a very bad feeling Aaron" Zorua commented, her stance drooping ever so slightly. I couldn't help agreeing with her, the auras of their trainers were just wrong. Where a normal human aura was a light blue, theirs was blood red. I narrowed my gaze and made sure I was directly in front of my trainer. I didn't trust either of them to not pull some cheap trick while my back was turned.

"Be careful around them, make sure your eyes never leave them, I can practically guarantee that they can and will fight dirty." She nodded and moved closer to me a step and regained her confident battle stance. "Ready?"

"Born Ready" she nodded and shot a Shadow Ball at them both after the ref finally gave the battle the go ahead. I grinned and quickly rammed into the Greninja after it landed from having to dodge the Shadow Ball. I quickly formed a Bone Rush to block the Infernapes Karate Chop that was aimed for my neck. I chuckled and kicked it in the chest to send it back before swinging the staff into the side of its face, sending it skidding back, its feet kicking up dirt to form small indentions in the ground.

"Aaron, behind you!" Caleb shouted, right before I felt something smack the back of my head painfully, staggering me and allowing the Infernape to hit me in the gut with a Fire Punch. I shouted in pain and grabbed its arm quickly, spinning around and throwing that fire monkey at the Greninja, who caught it easily and set it down while they both glared at me dangerously.

"Oh this is gonna be fun" I grinned and held my paws out in from of me, the aura emanating from them like blue flames. "Have at thee!"

"With pleasure" the Greninja replied, its voice distinctly female from how soft and smooth it sounded.

"Oh my, I must say your voice sounds quite beautiful" I complimented, earning smile from the ninja.

"Why thank you" she replied, right before disappearing and reappearing right behind me, nearly flooring me with a sucker punch. I tilted my head to the side and grabbed her outstretched arm, flipping her over my shoulder and tossing her away, watching as she easily caught herself and flipped back onto her feet, throwing a couple of Water Shurikens in the process. I formed a Bone Rush and swung at both of them before tossing it at her while she swung down with a Night Slash.

"Fast enough to keep up with me, impressive" she smiled and her eyes darted to the left, mine following as I saw a ball of black fur came flying at me. I caught the little Zorua easily and cradled her while I dodged and weaved around the punches of a very pissed off Infernape.

"Jeez, what did you do, insult their mother" I questioned her after kicking it away with a Blaze Kick. I set her down gently and whispered for her to stay down, to which she begrudgingly agreed to.

"It has a weak point right in the crown of its head" she whispered, making me blink and look at the Infernape, then back to her.

"You mean the part that's covered in fire?" She nodded, making me groan as I turned back to them, seeing two pairs of eyes looking back at me, one cold and angry, another lively and playful. If you guessed who had who, congrats, you win a cookie to eat while you watch two Pokémon beat the shit out of me.

' _Caleb, let me take over for this one, but let me know when their in my blind spot.'_ He nodded subtly and crossed his arms while his eyes scanned our opponents, watching for any kind of weakness.

"I appear to be in quite the predicament, any chance you two lovely ladies will go easy on me?" I asked with a sly smirk, hearing the Greninja giggle softly while the Infernape just crossed its arms and glared at me.

"As much as my typing may hate it, I can't afford to let you take us on one-on-one" the Infernape said, its voice proving my guess that it was female.

"Oh, but why not, me and you are Fighting types, and you have the advantage with that duel Fire typing, and I'm sure the beautiful lady right beside you won't mind" I pressed, now more or less trying to stall while I thought up a plan. I may have just been digging myself into a hole honestly, cause now Infernape looks even more pissed than before, but at least Greninja is blushing so maybe she'll go easy on me.

"Enough stalling, I wanna get this over with fast and clean" Infernape said, right before charging me with a Fire Punch. I sighed and formed another Bone Rush swinging it down to block her attack, much to her surprise.

"I was hoping to talk out our problems, but whatever" I grinned and kicked her away before giving her a solid uppercut with a Power-Up Punch, but kept my Bone Rush out to knock away another Water Shuriken that nearly hit me in the back. "You almost had me."

But I was talking to no one it seemed. That's when I felt a presence suddenly appear behind me, faster than I could prepare for it.

"Who said that I wanted that to hit" I heard her smooth voice whisper into my ear.

'Ah shit' was my only thought before what felt like a Hydro Pump sent me flying across the field, making me catch myself as I nearly skidded into my trainer.

"You alright bud?" I gave him a small thumbs up while holding my back in pain. That girl packs quite a punch, or my special defense needs more work. I shrugged off the pain and rammed into the Greninja with Extreme Speed before using Power-Up Punch on the Infernape before she could get up from my last attack.

"Your gonna have to hit a lot harder than that to take me out sweetheart!" I growled and charged towards her, jumping into the air and dropping down to hit her with an axe swing from the Bone Rush. Sadly, this never happened since I was knocked from the sky by a very painful Fire Blast.

My back hit the ground hard, knocking the air out of my lungs and making me wheeze painfully to get air in my chest. Problem was, I know I had a burn cause every expansion of my chest sent a spike of pain through my chest.

'It's a good thing I carry this then' I thought, pulling a Rawst berry out of the fur on my hips. I popped the berry in and leaped back onto my paws, my chest still looking a little charred, but not painfully so.

"I'm surprised your still standing " Infernape said, to which I just glared at her in response. She raised her hands up in a placating manner. "Didn't mean to offend."

I growled and moved towards her in an instant, using my momentum to deliver a powerful roundhouse kick to her head, sending her flying towards her partner, who knew their was no way to catch her, so she was forced to sidestep the flying monkey, only to follow her after receiving a Power-Up Punch to her back.

I peeked over at their trainers, gauging their reactions, and it was quite disconcerting. Neither of them showed even a hint of worry, but a look of total confidence was their instead.

'The hell' I thought, right before being forced to the ground after something hit the pressure point in my neck, rendering me nearly immobile. I felt a cool, webbed hand grab my arm softly and push my arm up my back, holding me in place while my other paw was forced to support me, lest I collapse.

"Checkmate" that silky smooth voice whispered in my ear, right before a fist coated in fire collided with my stomach. My eyes forced themselves closed while my teeth clenched as it felt like my fur just caught on fire. I tried to free myself, but my muscles were still unresponsive while the Infernape in front of me continued witling down my strength with each hit.

"AARON!" Caleb yelled, sounding near tears when he realized I was completely helpless at the moment. My eyes opened ever so slightly to try and find something I could use, right before an idea came to mind. I relaxed my body, making my muscles relax as well, despite not feeling them doing so. The Swords Dance returned just enough feeling in my body for me to throw some dirt into the Infernapes eyes before sweeping my leg under the Greninja, making her fall and letting me escape her hold. I didn't get far though, since what little strength I had left me and I collapsed on my hand and knees.

' _I'm sorry Caleb...I can't go on...I lost'_ I told him sorrowfully, reading his aura to sense his disappointment, but their was none to find. His aura exuded compassion and pride, which I should have known from how well I knew him.

' _Its alright bud, you did your best, I'm proud of you'_ he told me, right before the connection abruptly broke when his attention was focused elsewhere. I looked at him and flowed his gaze, eventually landing on little Zorua forcing herself up on staggering paws.

"Its not over yet!" She shouted vehemently, right before her form burst into a bright ball of light.

"What's happening!" Zack yelled worriedly while watching his beloved Zorua change into something much bigger, something much stronger. The change only lasted a few moments, but the suspense that everyone felt made it feel like hours. Now though, where that adorable Zorua once was, now stood a bipedal fox with a large mane that resembled a thick ponytail thanks to the orb near the end of the long swath of fur. The claws she now held were razor sharp and deadly, and the look she was giving the Greninja and Infernape before her, was one that could kill.

"Aaron, rest up, I got this" she said in a voice that could beat the Greninjas any day as she looked back at me, her eyes showing compassion and confidence. I blinked before a grin emerged on my muzzle.

"Go get 'em girl" I told her, earning a grin from the Illusion Pokémon.

"With pleasure" she giggled, right before disappearing in a puff of black smoke. What happened next, well, that could only be described as a slaughter. The two Pokémon were constantly looking around for the illusive dark type, and when they did find her, it was right after she hit one of them. She whittled them down, bit by bit, fazing out whenever they did score a hit. I was suddenly very envious of those powers, but at least I was able to see the real her the whole time with my aura sense.

"Code Romeo, I repeat, Code Romeo." My ear twitched and my eyes were drawn from the battle to the Greninjas trainer, who was currently speaking into a device on his wrist. My paws suddenly clenched tight as I scanned the area, finding something I really didn't like.

' _Caleb, we have incoming, are the others still in their balls?'_ I asked my trainer, feeling the confusion radiating off of his form.

' _Yeah, there still here bud, what do you mean by incoming?'_ I didn't bother replying, just started counting down. _'5...4...3...2...1.'_

At that exact moment, the entire battlefield rocked about after an explosion rivaling a missile blast hit the very center of the field, knocking all three battling Pokémon back at high speed, Greninja and Infernape skidding on the dirt and the newly evolved Zoroark careening back into my awaiting arms as I caught the illusionary fox effortlessly.

"You alright?" I asked her concerned, looking her over for any burn marks or other injuries. She nodded and placed a paw on her head, rubbing it softly while leaning back up in my arms.

"I'm fine, just a bit winded."

I nodded and helped her back to her paws before looking in front of me to see the chaos the explosion had caused. Nobody was truly hurt by it, but the scare was enough to send people running as the tournament security started ushering everyone out of the stadium in a controlled rush, at least they tried, but who ever listens to authority during a chaos. The people were panicking, running around like torchics with their heads cut off, at least they all understood where the exit was.

' _Caleb, Zack, stay close to us'_ I ordered the trainers and told Zoroark to cover the rear while I covered the front.

"Aaro-" I raised a paw up to silence him, my eyes darting left to right, looking for even the smallest threat, like the giant fireball heading right towards us. I swung a Bone Rush at it almost immediately, watching it clear like dust in the wind, revealing a sight I really didn't want to see ever again.

"My, still as perceptive as ever, aren't you my dear Lucario" that ever so familiar male voice remarked, right before the lieutenant who attacked me all those weeks ago walked out from behind one of the stands.

' _Dear lord, not again, didn't you learn your lesson from the first time'_ I groaned while crossing my arms. The man chuckled and reached into his pocket, pulling out a Pokéball, surprise surprise.

"You merely got lucky, we were not properly prepared for you back then, but now..." he waved for the many grunts around that were not already blocking off the stadium to close in, throwing out Pokéballs in front of them.

I sighed at the amount of fire and fighting types that currently surrounded me and my friends.

' _You morons are gonna be more annoying than Team Rocket could ever hope to be, I just know it.'_ I growled and peeked back at Caleb, seeing him nod soon after, followed by the sounds of several Pokéballs popping open, the rest of my team now standing by my side, minus little eevee of course.

"Y'all know the situation?" I asked them, not taking my eyes of the lieutenant.

"We saw everything" Lilly answered for everyone, her branch lit up bright.

The others stayed silent, their auras blood red with anger. They knew who they were it seemed, but Lee's aura seemed especially enraged, perhaps recognizing one of these individuals in a different way from us.

"Aww, how cute, this little band of misfits and rejects want too try and take on the might of Team Sunburst."

"Sunburst" Caleb muttered, but still kept it loud enough for everyone to hear. The lieutenant raised his eyes towards Caleb, finally acknowledging his presence.

"Yes child, you heard me correctly, I am lieutenant Huoyan of the infamous Team Sunburst, cower before me" he said, a little dramatically, to which I just rolled my eyes and scoffed.

' _Morons like you should be seen and not heard...scratch that first part actually'_ I stated, my voice void of emotion. I swear I saw his eye twitch before a smirk grew on his lips, the sound of a Pokéball popping open soon after.

"Blaziken!" the Pokémon yelled and threw its flaming arms out to send embers out across the field, making its appearance as dramatic as possible. I deadpanned and looked to my side, seeing Lilly and Yuki looking back at me with the same expression, Lee and Kaen reflecting it on the other side of me.

"Seriously Aaron, these are the idiots you were worried about?" Lee asked, his tone holding a sense of boredom. I just shrugged before looking back at the lieutenant, moving a paw to pinch the bridge of my snout.

"They mainly just get on my nerves, especially the lieutenant...but still, don't drop your guard, they can and will fight dirty." I said before returning to glaring at Huoyan, keeping the Blaziken in my peripherals. "Besides, their not really gonna be too much of a problem."

I raised a paw, holding up my three...whatever you would call my fingers, and looked the lieutenant dead in the eye.

' _3, 2, 1.'_

"What are you on abo-"

"POLICE, FREEZE, HANDS IN THE AIR!" A feminine voice forcefully yelled, right before a small army of the boys in blue broke past the little barricade of dandelions known as grunts, led by an Officer Jenny, all armed with a horde of Pokémon and sidearms.

' _Wow, real weaponry, you must have really pissed them off'_ I said with a grin, my eyes glowing in amusement. Huoyan and his team were looking at the surrounding officers, desperation showing on their faces. They had obviously not prepared a contingency plan, which pretty made up for this cheap victory.

"That was close, almost turned into a small war" Caleb sighed, his head suddenly resting on my shoulder. I felt his stress emanating from his form, probably not used to the stress of being surrounded by people that either want to capture or kill him. I smiled and rested my head on his, watching the police proceeded to take the Team Sunburst members away.

' _Don't worry Caleb, I would never have let them hurt you"_ I told him comfortingly, nuzzling him softly. I felt him lift his head up soon after when he heard approaching footsteps.

"Are you okay?" I heard Officer Jenny ask us, her eyes focused on Caleb.

"Yes Officer, I'm fine, thanks for showing up when you did" Caleb replied, petting my head to try and calm his nerves. I released a pleasured growl, pushing my head into his hand.

"I'm relieved that they didn't hurt you, sorry about the battle getting interrupted, but at least you won right" she chuckled, earning a smile from my trainer.

"Yeah, we won...are we still getting the cash prize?" he joked, earning another chuckle from the Officer.

"I'll see what I can do about that, but I am going to have to bring you in for questioning, you know protocol and all that jazz" she said, gesturing for him to follow her. He nodded and returned all of the team, following after the blue haired woman with Zack by his side.

"Well, that was interesting" I heard the voice of Zoroark to my left, my ear twitching at the melodious sound.

"That's one way to put it...definitely had both our trainers nervous" I said as I rubbed my head with my paw. "Their auras are really doing a number on my system."

Sometimes I hated being able to read auras so well, especially when they were giving off negative auras. I felt so tired just being near them, and I even found myself leaning on the taller dark type, my legs feeling too weak to support my own weight, plus I was still kind of hurting from the battle earlier.

"Don't worry Aaron, I got you" Zoroark said with a smile, her arm curling around my back to help support me. I sighed and rested my head on the scruff of her chest.

"You did good out there today...congratulations on the evolution" I told her, my voice coming out as slightly groggy. Her aura spiked in the positive and a fresh jolt of energy flowed though me.

"Thanks Aaron...now try and rest up, I can tell your tired, so just try and catch some Z's." With that said, I suddenly found myself off the ground completely, now being securely held in the Zoroarks arms.

"Come on, I can walk" I told her, but I wasn't going to deny how tempting it was just to go to sleep in her furred arms, that fluffy chest scruff serving as a great pillow.

"No arguing, you used to hold me when I was still a Zorua, now its my turn." Her paw came up and pushed my head to her chest, ignoring any complaints that followed. I just sighed and submitted myself to the treatment.

"Just make sure I end up at a Pokémon center later" I said, finally closing my eyes and slowly falling asleep in her warm arms.

* * *

 **Remember, review and fave, I'll see y'all next time.**

 **Bigshot, out**


	41. Chapter 41

**I am so sorry for all of my delays lately guys, I just finished moving out of my old apartment and I've been fighting serious writers block. Hopefully this one was good, and I hope I can post another one soon.**

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So yeah, apparently I received a lot more damage during that fight earlier than I thought I did, enough to make Nurse Joy worried. I don't get why she was so afraid for my health, I felt fine despite her claim that I had a fractured rib, to which I instantly called bullshit. My bones were basically made of steel, the force needed to even bend it would be astronomical...of course the laws of nature stop being credible when there's a fire monkey and ninja frog hitting you at full strength.

"Still don't believe me?" Nurse Joy asked me smugly, showing me the results of my X-ray. I blinked and felt my chest where the rib was cracked, feeling a slight pain radiating from the area.

' _It seems I was incorrect, I apologize, I must not have factored in the heat of the Fire Punch when it contacted my ribs.'_ I sighed and made to get up, immediately being stopped by a soft hand landing on my shoulder.

"Don't even think about it mister, your rib is shattered and several muscles in you leg are torn." I blinked after hearing her words. If I was that damaged, why couldn't feel any pain, I felt completely normal.

' _I feel fine Ms. Joy"_ I told her, right before she kicked my leg slightly, making me wince ever so slightly.

"See, your hurt, you just can't feel it thanks to the morphine, when that wears off, its going to hurt a whole lot worse, especially if you walking on it."

' _Then what do you propose we do, I am not staying in here longer than necessary, and there are other Pokémon in need of this room, especially after that attack.'_ I replied, smirking at the look she gave me.

"Fine...but only on one condition." I did not like the sound of that. I watched her leave the room for a moment before coming back in, pushing a wheelchair into the room.

'Crap.'

"Until further notice, I am confining you to this wheelchair" she said a little too sweetly. I whined, which only made her grin wider as she helped me up.

' _Your enjoying this aren't you?'_ I grunted, glaring up at her from the wheelchair. She just smiled and walked behind me, pushing me forward out of the room and into the main room where my trainer and my favorite Braixen were talking with Zack and Zoroark. Upon hearing the door open, they all turned to look at the nurse and me in confusion.

"Thank you for waiting, your Pokémon are in perfect health" she said, handing Caleb the rest of his team and pushing me towards him. "But I'm afraid your Lucario here will be confined to a wheelchair or his Pokéball for the next few days."

"Please kill me" I grumbled, much to the amusement of the girls as they all walked towards me, Lilly immediately sitting in my lap and giving me a kiss.

"Good to see you came out of that battle intact bud...well, mostly" Caleb chuckled as he rubbed my head, receiving a death glare in return.

' _Choose your words very carefully Caleb, I'm not in the best of moods.'_ I growled, letting my head rest on Lilly's with my eyes closed. She nuzzled me comfortingly, trying to calm me down so I didn't spontaneously murder our trainer.

"Easy there big boy, no need to blow a gasket" Zoroark chuckled and bent down to wrap an arm around my shoulder. I just gave her a one eyed glare before simply ignoring everyone all together, not even flinching when I felt the chair start to move along the road.

"So what was that all about Caleb, who were those guys?" Zack asked.

"Some Team Flare wannabes calling themselves Team Sunburst, all I know is that they really want Aaron for some reason, least I think they do. Why, I have no clue." He explained with a shrug, petting my head afterwards.

"I wonder if their plan is anything like Team Flares was, all evil organizations seem to follow the same model."

"And what would that model be?" Caleb asked, to which Zack gave him a look of dead seriousness.

"To summon or capture one of the legendary Pokemon." He said, shivering a little from the mere thought of said event coming to pass. I could feel Caleb's aura run ice cold, which I didn't even know was possible. I reached a paw back to grasp his hand, transferring my aura into his being, doing my best to put him at ease.

' _Don't worry Caleb, it won't come to that, and if it does, we got your back'_ I told him, my other paw held up, clenched tight. He smiled and nodded, his aura returning to its naturally warm glow.

"Thanks bud, comforts me to know that my team has my back"

' _We always will, don't ever doubt it.'_ I replied with a smile before leaning back into the chair, relaxing under my mate. _'So what's the plan now boss?'_

"Right now, relax while you heal up before taking on the Laverre City gym."

"But first you really need to pick up your prize money". Oh yeah, forgot about that, how much prize money was that again? More than enough, that's all that matters.

"Good idea, Lilly, think you can keep an eye on Aaron for me while me and Zack go off to get the cash?" She got to her paws and gave him a mock salute before returning to my side while Zoroark took his place, deciding to stick around while they went off.

"So, he normally leave you all to your own devices like this?" Zoroark questioned, receiving a nod from the both of us, making her snort in amusement.

"Wow, can't believe he trusted you lot not to destroy the city, especially considering how much trouble you seem to attract".

"I want to take offence, but I can't say it is not true". I chuckled, "But at least I haven't destroyed the city yet".

"Very true, can only imagine the chaos you've already caused across Kalos".

"Not as much as I would have liked, but maybe we can talk Zack into joining us, then we can all wreak havoc on the unsuspecting populace". Actually didn't sound like a terrible idea, I rather liked the idea of Zack coming along with us on this little journey. I liked my trainer and all, but he gets kind of boring after awhile, especially now when he finally figured out when I'm messing with him.

"I think I can make that happen". She replied, right before taking a seat on a nearby bench, Lilly sitting down right beside her.

"So tell us a little bit about yourself, mostly me since you and Aaron already seem to know each other quite well".

"Not much to tell Lilly, my life was pretty boring before Zack came around, mostly just sleeping and eating, exploring the forest with my mom and dad. Then I met Zack and kind of bonded with him after he 'saved me' from an angry Mightyena". She told us, putting air quotes around the saving me part. I raised a brow and smirked before chuckling at her words.

"Its always kind of funny to see the humans trying to stand up to a Pokémon, but you have to respect their courage".

"That you do, but he actually did hold it off long enough for my dad to show up and take care of it. We took him to the den to tend to his injuries, one thing led to another, and a week later, I was traveling with him across Kalos. In fact we were traveling for maybe a week before running into trouble in this very city, which is also the first time I met Aaron...well Zack did, I was unconscious at the time, which reminds me". Next thing I knew, my chair was replaced by a suddenly affectionate Zoroark as she held me in a tight hug.

"I don't think I ever properly thanked you for saving us" she said, nuzzling the top of my head while she pushed my face into her chest fluff.

"It was nothing Zoroark" I replied, my voice muffled by her fur. She pulled my head back and turned my head to look straight into my eyes.

"It wasn't nothing Aaron, if it weren't for you, I would have been taken away from Zack and I wouldn't have been able to meet you and your friends." I smiled and patted her cheek with a paw, pulling myself off of her and settling down on the bench between the two girls.

"Still, it was nothing...so, now we have the city to ourselves, so...wanna go see what kind of chaos we can cause?" I suggested, receiving a light smack to the back of my head as a response.

"No, bad Aaron" Lilly chastised, making Zoroark chuckle.

"See how she abuses me" I whined, leaning back on the bench with a huff. Lilly looked at me deadpan before turning to Zoroark with a pleading expression, gesturing towards the chair. She nodded and helped me back into said chair.

"Hey Lilly " Zoroark started, catching the firefox's attention. "Would you maybe want to have a battle with me, I kind of wanted and to test this new body out." I rather liked this idea, it's a great way to get some practice in.

"Actually sounds like a good idea sweetheart, don't want to be rusty for the next battle." She placed a paw on her chin in thought before a smile formed on her muzzle and happily nodded in agreement.

"It has been sometime since I battled last, but that doesn't mean I'll ever get rusty" she said, casting me a sideways glance to lay her eyes on my innocent grin.

"Excellent" she clapped her paws together before grabbing the Braixen by the arm and practically sprinting towards the open field. I chuckled and wheeled my chair closer to the field, taking a place in-between the two Pokémon.

"Remember to play nice girls, don't need any more of us in wheelchairs." They nodded in agreement and got down in their respective stances. "Ready...fight!"

Not a muscle was moved as the two held strong, looking each other over and waiting for the other to finally make a move. After a full minute of silence, Zoroark was the one to finally break the stalemate, disappearing from view and reappearing right behind Lilly, intending do but her in the back with a sucker punch, only for her fist to hit nothing but air.

"Gotcha" Lilly whispered before a blast of fire sent the dark type flying into the air, only to be sent crashing to the ground after another Fire Blast hit her from above.

"Everyone thinks so many things about my species" Lilly said after thudding onto the ground and twirling her stick around with her flame lit at the tip, aiming it at the kneeling Illusion Pokémon. "One common misconception is that were slow to react...you'll come to find this out the hard way."

"Don't be getting cocky, I'm no pushover" she growled back and shot towards the Fox with a Night Slash, way to fast for her to dodge, scoring a direct hit that sent the fire type skidding back. Her eyes narrowed as she pushed herself off the ground and shot of bursts of fire in retaliation.

'Maybe I should contact the fire department." Right when that thought crossed my mind, a passing trainer walked up next to me, seeming to catch an interest in the show. I took a courtesy glance at the sudden visitor, instantly recognizing the girl as a trainer, if her wardrobe was any indicator. She reminded me of Hilda from the Black and White game...why I remember useless stuff like this, I have no clue, but whatever. The only difference between the two was that her hair had dark blue highlights on the edges.

"Friends of yours?" She asked, to which I nodded and looked at her belt, seeing four Pokéballs in total.

' _Any chance one of those balls holds a water type?'_ I asked her, making her look at me in surprise.

"Telepathy, interesting, and yes, why do you ask?" She asked, only mildly surprised.

' _The field is already on fire, and it's a dirt field, I'm afraid to see it spread to the forest over there.'_

"Point taken" she chuckled and pulled a ball from her belt and tossing it up. "Come on out Shea."

Out of all the Pokémon she could have pulled out, this one actually caught me off guard.

"Is...is that a Popplio?" I wondered out loud as my eyes rested on the small Sea Lion Pokémon, looking at its trainer with a contented grin.

"What can I do for you Marissa?" It asked in a high pitched voice that was distinctly female. To say I was surprised would have been an understatement, but it definitely destroyed the concept the games had going, but I guess developers didn't think about their future products...stop over thinking it.

"Think you can keep an eye on the battle for us, just in case the park itself decides to light up." She gave her a salute and waddled over the edge of the field, scanning the battle for any stray fire attacks.

"Now that there's no risk of the fire department coming to kick our ass, mind answering a few questions for me, cause you look extremely familiar?"

' _Everyone of my species looks almost exactly the same, the only way I would not look familiar is it I was a shiny or if I had any other genetic abnormality.'_ She looked at me in mild amusement, a brow raised and a smile on her lips.

"Alright, no need to over explain things, I was just saying that you looked like the same Lucario that battled in the Championship a couple hours ago." She replied, receiving a nod.

' _Your eyes do not deceive, I take it you saw the events that had transpired during that entire exchange.'_ She nodded and pulled out her Pokédex, clicking it a few times before handing it over to me.

"Team Sunburst, not the most creative of names, but their still as dangerous as Team Flare was. I've actually been watching them for quite awhile, seeing what all I could discover about them."

I tilted my head curiously and looked down at the device in my paws, seeing articles depicting robberies, assaults, murders, any crime you can name, it was on there.

"But not even Flare would stoop this low, these guys are worse than even Team Rocket, their responsible for a lot of problems that have been plaguing Kalos, yet the police can't really do anything about it since they don't really have sufficient evidence."

' _Interesting...so what's your stake in this?'_

"Excuse me?"

' _You just seem very interested in this team, so I want to know how they caught your attention to such a degree.'_ She was silent after my inquiry, her aura radiating anxiety, showing she was highly uncomfortable about this subject. _'You don't have to answer that question, I can sense that it makes you uncomfortable.'_

"...Thank you...it's something I don't like to remember."

I nodded in understanding and let my eyes wander back onto the battle, only to see the two fox Pokémon in a deadlock as Lilly's Flamethrower was meeting Zoroark's Dark Pulse, creating a ball of orange and black right in the center.

' _Might want to brace yourself'_ I suggested after locking the wheels on the chair and holding onto the arms tightly. She looked at me in confusion while I watched the ball slowly get bigger and bigger...until. _'three, two, one.'_

As soon as I hit zero, I was instantly deafened by an explosion and I nearly flew out of my chair from the force behind it. Marissa was not so fortunate though, being thrown back a good ten feet since she didn't brace. I cleaned my eyes from the dust the blast had kicked up, using my aura vision to see the girls still standing, but just barely.

' _Battles over'_ I chuckled and pushed myself up out of my chair, moving over to help the girl up from the ground.

"Thanks Lucario" she thanked as she grabbed my paw and pulled herself off the ground.

"Oh crap!" I grunted and held a paw to my ribs, Joys words ringing true as pain suddenly shot through me.

"What's wrong, what happened, are you okay" she asked in concern as she moved to support me. I shook my head and slowly moved towards my wheelchair, Marissa holding me up and helping me back into my chair.

' _I have a broken rib or two and the painkillers just wore off.'_ She cringed at that response, giving me a sympathetic pat on the head.

"Know how that feels, can't say I enjoy it" she replied and moved behind me to push me toward the field, much to my surprise, but I wasn't going to complain.

"So who won?" I chuckled, receiving annoyed glares from both of the girls before they slowly stood back up to their full heights and made their way to the middle of the field.

"Good battle, I honestly wasn't expecting you to be that strong" Zoroark said, holding out her paw towards Lilly, who instantly took it in hers.

"Same, you adapted to your evolved form quite well" she complimented before turning back to me with a smile, then her eyes met the girl pushing my chair and her expression turned curious. "Make yourself a new friend while we were battling?"

"Something like that, she lent her Pokémon so your battle didn't make the park light up like Lumiose Tower." I replied, a blush forming on her muzzle after turning back to see Shea trying to put out a large flame with a water gun.

"Oh...oops" she said with a nervous chuckle. I laughed and patted my lap, to which she instantly took the offer and settled herself against my chest while Zoroark moved to investigate the newcomer.

"So what's the story with this one?" She asked, looking her over for anything interesting.

"She just showed up to watch the battle, nothing really to tell" I replied with a shrug, making her nod before bumping the girl out of the way to take her place behind me and began pushing my chair back towards the city. "Now where are we going?"

"The Pokémon center, I'm tired and I wanted to go and take a nap until Caleb and Zack come back."

"But Mom, I don't wanna go to bed!" I whined, making her roll her eyes and continue to push me without further acknowledgement. I raised a brow and locked the brakes on my chair, bringing us all to a dead stop. "I'm serious, you can go back to your room, but I'm staying out here."

I picked Lilly up off of my lap, seeing that she was already out cold, and handed her over to the Illusionary fox. "Can you take her along with you, I wanted to ask our new friend a few questions."

She sighed and nodded before taking my mate into her arms and begin the treck back towards the Pokémon center.

"Come on back Shea" Marissa ordered, followed by the sounds of a Pokémon being returned to its ball. "Now than, any reason you stayed here Mr. Lucario?"

' _Indeed, it would seem we have a common goal, so I have a proposal.'_ This seemed to catch her attention.

"And what would this proposal be, if I may ask?"

' _Travel with us.'_ She raised a brow and moved over closer towards me, leaning down so she was looking me right in the eye.

"You caught my interest, now what's in it for me if your not going directly after them?"

' _No matter where we go, they always seem to be, travel with us and I can practically guarantee we will run into the boss himself and be able to take him down, question is, are you in?'_

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 **Feel free to tell me your opinion, if it ain't good, tell me, I want to improve.**


	42. Chapter 42

**I'm back once again my lovely readers, and finally posting another chapter of this story. Hope it's decent, especially I wrote most of this while I was dead tired, but I'm not gonna go into detail on that. I'm just gonna let all of you read while I finally relax, hope you enjoy.**

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"So let me get this straight, you want her travel with us because...why?" Caleb asked, looking at Marissa with a critical eye. I raised a brow before nodding to Lilly, who quickly delivered a good swat to his side with her branch.

' _Don't be rude'_ I told him, watching him shrink away from the smaller Pokémon while holding his side. If was actually pretty comical to see to anyone passing by, kind of like a midget beating up an NBA player.

' _I believe the proper term is, little person'_ I heard Lee say from the safety of his Pokéball. I raised a brow and stared at the device in mild surprise. His power must have grown exponentially if he was able to read my mind from behind the walls of the Pokéball...time to fix this new issue.

' _First off, I'm a Pokémon, political correctness means very little to me. Also, it would be wise to avoid reading my mind anymore from this point on.'_

' _Oh, why would I ever stop that, it's fun way to mess with you'_ he giggled.

' _Do you really want to know what goes on up here, we've already discussed this before.'_ Silence on his end after that, but I could still feel him blushing after I thought of a particular thought that I would not classify as SFW.

' _I'm just gonna be quiet now'_ he muttered, making me smile at my victory.

' _Good boy'_ I chuckled before turning back to the group and wheeling myself closer. Seems like I missed very little, the politics of this little group effectively talking themselves into a circle.

"Well, this sounds like a fun time." I chuckled, making Lilly roll her eyes as she leaned on the chair.

"He's being oddly difficult right now, think you can help him see the light?" I grinned and stretched out my paws with the digits interlocked.

"Love, prepare to see the master at work." With that said, I cleared my throat for effect before wheeling myself closer to the boy.

' _Caleb, why are you so adamant about not letting her come with?'_ I asked him, quirking a brow while he just shrugged, going back to nervously petting the Vulpix in his hands. I sighed and took my little girl away from him, setting her on my lap and swatting away his hands from his attempt to take her back.

' _Fine, think of it like this, if she comes with, you have another ally and someone besides me to talk to, and who knows, maybe you'll even get laid.'_ The end of that sentence made the boy blush harder than I thought, good to know he's still easily embarrassed.

"First off, that was totally uncalled for" he whispered, making me chuckle while I patted him on the back.

' _We'll someone's gotta be interested in your sex life, either way you look at it, your getting laid on this journey.'_

"Can we please stop talking about this" he practically begged while holding his hands over his ears, as if that would keep me out. I decided to give him a break though, letting his cheeks return to their normal color before continuing on to my point.

' _Seriously though, you really should consider letting her come. She apparently has a personal vendetta against Sunburst, so she could prove useful. And I was serious when I said you need someone to talk to, humans are social creatures that need to interact with others of their own species.'_

"I know that, but I guess I'm just a little nervous" he chuckled while rubbing the back of his head. I raised a brow and looked into his aura, a smirk growing on my muzzle when I found the source of his hesitance .

' _Aww, your already crushing hard on her aren't you?'_ I teased, getting him to blush almost immediately afterwards.

"N-no, that would be ridiculous" he defended, but I still caught him taking a peek over at Marissa. I chuckled and patted him on the back before leaving him to himself and wheeling on over towards the new girl, leaving Lilly to tend to the boy.

"So, what's the verdict?" She asked, a little bit of anxiety coming through in her tone.

' _You can come along, don't worry about Caleb, I'm the one who calls the shots around here and I'd love for you to tag along,'_ I told her, leaning back into my chair with my eyes closed, and continued. _'Besides, that boy might go crazy if he spends any longer on the road with only us for company.'_

"Why do you say that, I spend a lot of time in the road with only my Pokémon and it's never bothered me." I cracked an eye open and simply smiled at the naïve girl.

' _You've never traveled with me'_ I stated, making her raise a brow as she peeked over at Lilly, seeing her just shrug with a small smile on her muzzle. She hummed before shrugging herself and moving over towards Caleb, pulling out three Pokéballs and tossing them back towards us, releasing the rest of her Pokémon, while keeping Shea on her person.

"Keep my Pokémon company for me will you, I gotta talk to Caleb." She told me, not even turning around to acknowledge me or her team as she made her way to the only other human in the center besides Joy. I blinked, watching her go before looking back at the combined group of Pokémon, surprise instantly taking over my façade.

"Hi there" I heard a little Rockruff bark up at me, gaining the attention of the fire type sitting in my lap. Not even a second later, she and the rock type were off talking and playing like the little children they were. I blinked before looking back ahead of me at both the Raichu and Riolu that had their eyes locked on me.

'Starting to think Riolu and Lucario aren't as rare as people say we are.' I hummed to myself as the unofficial staring contest resumed, until the Riolu raised its little paw to wave at me with a friendly smile.

"Hello there Mr. Lucario." The boy greeted, the Raichu giving a nod as well, but remaining silent.

"Uh...hey" I waved back, not really knowing how to respond since my brain was still trying to figure out these two, studying them while taking a peek at the Rockruff that was playing with Kaen every few seconds. Nothing much to say about any of them, they all looked pretty standard, expect for the scar over the Raichu's left eye.

"This is so cool, I've never met a Lucario before!" The little boy exclaimed, hopping on his paws with his other pair placed in front of his muzzle like a giddy little school girl. I took on a confused look as his eyes looked me up and down in fascination

"What? How am I the first Lucario you've met, haven't you ever met your parents?" I asked in mild surprise, wondering how he hasn't met any other Lucario.

"Nope, I was a gift for Marissa by a friend who was a breeder, least that what she tells me" he responded, that smile still plastered on his muzzle. He didn't look even the least bit bummed out about basically being a bastard, but at least he has Marissa to be like a mother to him, or at least a guardian.

"Oh...well...glad to help you experience new things." I said with a small smile of my own. Silence reigned once again, the little Riolu too busy studying me and the Raichu still playing the part of the strong silent type.

Kaen and the Rockruff were still busy playing, currently trying their best to annoy Nurse Joy, with little success. The trainers were busy discussing whatever they deemed important enough at that moment, even having Zack join them after he got back from doing whatever it is he does.

"So what's your name?" I heard the boy ask, making my ear twitch.

"Aaron" I told him, not bothering to turn to look at either of them.

"Cool, mines Ora" the now identified Riolu said, then pointed a paw at the Raichu. "This is Iskra." The noise nodded in greeting.

'Simple names, but they work I guess.'

"Now that that's out of the way, You think maybe I can get a closer look at you?" I quirked a brow and nodded, watching him curiously as he made his way closer.

"I don't see why not, do I really intrigue you that much?" Hs crimson red irises shined as he smiled, leaping into my lap and making the chair wheel back a bit.

"Yeah, your what I'm going to evolve into, so I want to know everything there is to know about you, especially since you're the only other one of my species I've run into, they say were really rare. I know they live on mountain tops and stuff so they can train, did you ever do something like that, or have you been with your trainer your whole life like me. Maybe we-"

'Dear God does he have an off switch' I wondered while the boy rattled on about this and that, eventually going off to a whole other subject until he was finally silenced by Iskra, who had planted the tip of his tail over the boys muzzle, cutting him off but failing to stop the unintelligible growls and other such noises coming from the Emanation Pokémon. I looked down at the Electric type, mouthing a thank you before looking back at the pre-evolution and putting my paws on his arms.

"Kid, I know your excited, but you need to calm down, I have a feeling we'll be traveling together for awhile so there will be plenty of time to talk and get to know each other, okay?" I explained, getting a nod and another big smile from under that Raichu tail, which slowly removed itself from his muzzle.

"Your going to be traveling with us, that's so cool." He squealed, practically hopping in place on my lap. I chuckled and patted the kid on the head, only for him to simply grab my arm and look it over in fascination.

"Now then, what's your story bud?" I asked the Raichu, seeing him look up at me for but a moment before looking back at whatever he found more interesting at the moment. I blinked, staring at the mouse until I felt a small pressure press down on my wrist spike, followed by a loud yelp.

"Ow...man those are sharp" Ora whined, cradling a paw to his chest. I grinned and picked the kid up, setting him up on my shoulders and lifting myself from the wheelchair, my legs protesting from the sudden movement after being unused for so long.

"Indeed they are, why you gotta be careful around them when I don't know your there." I warned him, adjusting my hold on him and making my way towards the trio of trainers.

' _So, has a decision been made yet?'_ I asked them, making all conversation come to a halt as Caleb fixed his gaze on me while the other two looked around for a minute before finally figuring things out, probably still not used to hearing voices in their head.

"Yep, we talked it out and these two are coming along for the ride" Caleb answered, making me grin and Ora to nearly break from my grip from the resulting burst of excitement.

"Yay, I get to travel with a Lucario, oh I can't wait" he shouted, pumping a fist into the air with a prize winning smile etched onto his muzzle. Marissa giggled and took the pup off my shoulders and hoisted him up into the air an arms length away from her.

"Yep, we're gonna have a few new friends now Ora. Maybe if you ask really nicely, maybe Aaron will even help you learn how to control your aura." His eyes practically sparkled like gems as they met mine. I grinned and gave him a nod, which was apparently broke the limit of how much he could handle before he simply fainted.

"Welp, lasted longer than usual, new record little guy" she giggled, handing him back to me before pulling out her bright pink Pokédex and started fiddling around with it. Everyone present shared a look before our eyes fell squarely on her.

"Does...that happen often?" Zack questioned, glancing over at the unconscious Riolu in my arms.

"Only when he gets really excited, Aaron's the first Lucario the little guys ever met and he's pretty much been looking for one since he learned about them."

"Uh, guys, I'd love to stay and chat about this more but I gotta go see the professor, I sent him that mega and key stone a few days ago and I wanted to see what he wanted it for." My ears twitched as I have him a curious look.

' _Is that why I haven't felt the stones power for the last week?_ ' I asked, receiving a simple nod before he recalled the team and gestured for me to follow before he made his way towards the door. I gave Ora back to Marissa and ran up to him, following close behind

"I won't take long guys, go ahead and gather up your things, we leave first thing in the morning" he ordered them, before passing the threshold of the Pokémon center doors and finding ourselves back in the hustle and bustle of Lumiose.

"So, in case you hadn't already figured it out, their both coming along with us." He told me while fiddling with his Pokédex, while idly petting my head.

' _So what changed your mind, was it my rousing speech earlier, or are you really crushing on that girl?'_ He just gave me the stink eye, not even bothering to answer me before signing and stashing the dex back into his bag.

"I...guess you were right, I did kind of miss human contact. You guys are cool and all and I do enjoy our conversations, but I just wanna be able to talk and hear it back outside of my head, you know." He sighed, making me chuckle and pat his back.

"I mean I could talk to you like this, but it would probably piss us both off to no end" I told him, laughing at the confusion on his face.

"No idea what you said, but I get your point...I think."

' _What point?'_

"..." He just blinked and stared at me before his own smile grew and he patted me on the head.

"Whatever bud, anyway, we're here so let's see what Sycamore has for us." He said, pushing the door open and leading me inside, only for us to stop in the doorway as we both sweatdropped.

"Sir, we need you to get that Pokémon under control!" Yelled a brunette in a lab coat, ducking under a large stack of books that flew right above her head.

"I'm trying, he isn't listening!" A man yelled back, his bright yellow t-shirt making him stick out like a sore thumb. Well at least it would have had the Pokémon both individuals were trying to calm down wasn't wearing a karate gi in the same exact color.

' _Why is a Machoke wearing a gi?'_ I asked my trainer, not taking my eyes off the raging fighting type as it continued its rampage.

"I have no idea" he replied, confusion clear in his tone.

' _Should we help?'_

He didn't get a chance to answer that question before we both were forced to step to the side after the yellow shirted man was sent flying out he door with a scream. I looked back to make sure I had really just seen that, and almost immediately turned back when the sounds of destruction ceased, only to see those beady red eyes staring directly at me, followed by a shout of pure rage from the Superpower Pokémon before he charged. My eyes shot open and I immediately tackled Caleb, throwing us both to the side to avoid the heavy fist of the fighting type.

"Move!" I shouted at him and pushed him towards the assistant before turning around and throwing a Power-Up Punch forward, meeting the grey skinned fist with my own, stopping it in its tracks, only to get thrown to across the room by its other hand. I formed a Bone Rush and immediately stabbed it into the tile floor, bringing myself to a halt after leaving a deep groove in the floor.

"Sir, I'm gonna need you to calm down!" I shouted, holding my bone staff in front of me as I stared the Machoke down. He turned back slowly, his face of anger not changing in the slightest, and suddenly charged once again.

"Sir, Sir, SIR!" I screamed, bring my staff forward and jabbing it into his stomach, bringing the Superpower Pokémon to its knees before throwing it back with a powered up uppercut under the jaw.

"I recommend a therapist man, you have serious issues." I said, watching him pick himself back up off the floor and turn back to me once more with that crazed look in his eye. "Seriously though dude, what is your problem?"

He just growled and ran at me again, making me sigh before I jumped to the side, avoiding the punch and hitting him in the side with a Blaze Kick. He didn't even flinch before grabbing my leg and picking me up off the floor, immediately slamming me back into the floor, leaving a large crack in the floor under me.

"Ow" I groaned, only to be slammed again, and again, and again. "Dude, I get the point!"

He looked about ready to slam me again until I wrapped my legs around his arm and quickly pulled myself onto his back, slamming a series of Power-Up Punches into the back of his head. He shouted in pain, his hands clawing at my back, making me wince before I punched him again, bringing him to his knees before I wrapped my arms around his head in a choke hold.

"Go down you big bastard!" I yelled, keeping my hold on him, gritting my teeth as I fought his strength. It took a few minutes, but he steadily slowed down until he was finally still. I quickly released him and jumped a good distance away, panting slightly before falling in the floor on my rear.

"You alright bud?" I heard Caleb ask me after kneeling down next to me and holding me up before I fell back in exhaustion.

' _Yep, just peachy'_ I replied, leaning into him as he helped me to my paws. I coughed and held a paw to my back, which currently felt like a pair of sledge hammers were dropping onto my back, course I was slammed a few times into a stone tiled floor so it might as well have been.

' _Sorry to cut introductions, but what the heck was wrong with him?'_ I asked the assistant, watching her fix her glasses as she pulled a large Garchomp into the room to restrain the unconscious Machoke just in case. ' _And where was he a minute ago?'_

Caleb must have sensed my agitation since his hand came down to rub my neck and the back of my ears. I huffed and crossed my arms, turning my head away from the pair as the sound of heels clicking against the floor grew closer.

"Thank you so much for your help, we don't know what got into Machoke, he just started tearing the room apart as soon as he came out of his ball" the woman told us, picking through her pocket and pulling out a random Oran berry and offered it to me. I blinked, looking between the berry and her. "This will help heal you up a little, go on."

I nodded and grabbed the berry, popping it into my mouth and feeling a little bit of my energy come back to me. She smiled and patted my head in thanks before turning back to the door and rushing over to the man that was holding onto the door frame to keep himself on his feet.

"Are you alright Mr. Richards?" She asked him, helping him into room and placing him in a chair that somehow was still left standing. He nodded before flopping onto the chair heavily with his hand held to his chest while panting.

"Drama queen" I muttered, rolling my eyes and following Caleb over towards the pair.

"I'm fine Mary, just a little winded" he replied with a cough, leaning back into the chair, letting his head rest back on the headrest. I rolled my eyes with my arms crossed before looking back at the assistant as she turned back to the unconscious Pokémon and made her way towards it, the Garchomp standing over it with a watchful eye.

"I wonder what got into him, usually he's just so calm and mellow, but he went absolutely ballistic almost as soon as he left his Pokéball." She muttered to no one in particular, kneeling down in front of the Pokémon and opened its eyes while shining a flashlight in it. I tensed up and shared a look with the Garchomp, both of us nodding and slowly made our way closer to the pair. Garchomp gently gripped the woman's shoulders while I put myself between her and the Superpower Pokémon.

"Best not to get near an unconscious Pokémon ma'am, especially a fighting type, trust me I speak from experience." Caleb warned her, rubbing his arm from the phantom pain that we will not speak of the reason.

"Right, good idea, let me go inform the professor of the situation" She replied, shrugging off the Garchomp's claws and making her way up the stairs to the upper levels, the Garchomp following her after I assured him I would keep things under control.

"...Well...that happened" Caleb muttered dumbly while scratching the back of his head, looking between the man, me, and the Machoke.

' _No clue...Maybe we should ask the drama queen over there?'_ I suggested, not moving my eyes from the Pokémon on the floor.

"Yeah, I would if he was still conscious" he sighed, jabbing a thumb back at the man, who was now on the couch, which was basically just a pile of tattered cushions. I deadpanned before shaking my head and walking away from the scene of the crime and sat down in the corner with my back against the wall.

' _Well, now what do you think we're dealing with? I mean Pokémon don't just go nuts for no reason.'_ I asked, covering my eyes with my paws. I heard sneakers tapping against the tile floor and a familiar presence settle down beside me, along with a hand coming to rest in my head.

"Asking the wrong guy there buddy, I'm as tired of all this excitement as you are" he replied, his hand moving from my head to my shoulder. I sighed and leaned my head on his shoulder, my aura vision still keeping a critical eye on the entire room.

'Can we please just go one day without something going wrong?' I asked myself, wondering what was going to go wrong. I can't believe it, but I kind of hope Mew comes around soon to fill me in on the situation, maybe she can clear a few things up. I actually haven't seen her in a while, hopefully everything is still fine on her end, don't need any more problems added to my list of things to worry about.

"Bonjour Caleb, thank goodness you came when you did." I heard the familiar voice of the professor chime in, interrupting my thoughts, making my eyes snap open to regard the raven haired man as he walked down the stairs towards us. "I hate to imagine how much damage that Machoke could have caused it you hadn't shown up."

"Glad we could help Professor, that could have turned ugly fast if Aaron didn't put it down" Caleb replied, getting back on his feet to meet the man at the bottom of the stairs and taking his hand in his own, giving it a firm shake.

"Indeed, we'll have to run a few tests on him to see what's wrong, but we won't know until later." He sighed, looking over at the still unconscious Pokémon. He shook his head before looking back down at the boy with a grin, then turned to me, still sitting in the corner. "Lets not worry about that right now though, for now, I am very excited to show you both what I've been working on with your respective stones."

That wasn't a lie, I could feel the man's excitement from clear over here. I couldn't help but move closer to the pair, coming to a stop right beside my trainer.

' _What's got you so chipper professor?'_ I couldn't help but ask, taken the man aback before a huge smile grew on his face.

"Oh my, you really can use telepathy Aaron, magnifique." He laughed, reaching down to pet my head. I smiled up at him, slightly leaning into his touch.

"You think I would lie about something like that professor?" Caleb asked feigning a hurt expression, making the man roll his eyes before gesturing for us to follow him to his lab, returning the Machoke to its Pokéball in the process.

"Not at Caleb, I was just the slightest bit skeptical, not many Lucario can learn telepathy, and there have been zero reported cases of Riolu being able to use it, meaning Aaron may very well be the very first Lucario to ever have near full control of his aura before his evolution." He explained, his tone getting steadily more excited though his sentence. "I can't wait to contact Rowan and Oak, there going to be positively thrilled to hear about you Aaron, maybe I'll even get in contact with Juniper, she'll love to put this in her records!"

He stopped abruptly and clapped his hands together, his aura shining brightly along with his eyes as they twinkled when he set his eyes back in me.

"You can be a scientific breakthrough in the making Aaron."

I just tilted my head in curiosity, but he didn't bother to elaborate on that, deciding to push us into his lab instead. I looked at Caleb, seeing him shrug as Sycamore dug though random cabinets and boxes, leaving me to scratch my head in confusion. Apparently this man was so caught up in his own world he nearly forgot we were there, muttering something about Aura and physic abilities or something like that, before extracting a camcorder from a shelf and setting it up against the wall.

"Now back to the matter at hand, I wanted to see Aaron mega-evolve with my own eyes. Every Mega-evolution is different and he has shown to have plenty of power in his base form alone, so I wanted to take some measurements when he's in his mega form, but to do that you need your stones don't you, we'll I have a surprise."

He then ran over to a large locked metal chest against the wall, prying it open after entering the combination, and pulling out another, smaller box, and stepping back in front of us before opening it up, making my trainers eyes to wide after he saw what it contained.

"I had a friend from Geosenge make these a few days ago, same one that made Korrina's, I do hope you like them."

Caleb was struck speechless, pulling the bracer and cuff from the box, holding our mega and keystone respectively.

"Professor...thank you...it's amazing!" Caleb exclaimed, honestly getting way more excited than was necessary, but I let the boy be. He wasted no time in snapping the cuff around his wrist and securing the bracer on mine, a wide grin on his face the whole time.

' _Yes, thank you professor_ ' I added, giving him a small bow in gratitude.

"Glad you like them, now you doing have to keep holding onto the stones all the time, but make sure you don't lose either of them, neither of those stones are easy to replace." He warned before stepping back towards the camera.

"Now why don't you test them out, get used to mega-evolving again." We nodded before looking back one another with smiled plaster on our faces.

"What do you think buddy, you up for it?"

' _Like you even need to ask.'_

He nodded and placed his fingers against his keystone, those familiar tendrils of light slowly forming from the bracer, then suddenly shooting towards me, suddenly sending a shot of adrenaline through my veins. I closed my eyes as I felt myself slowly changing before the light burst from around me, revealing my new form to the world once more. Sycamore's eyes sparkled as he stepped towards me slowly.

"Amazing, I can feel his power from here!" He shouted in glee, grabbing a small gadget from his desk and gently taking one of my now near foot long aura feelers in his hands and scanning them with whatever that thing was.

' _How long is this gonna take?_ ' I asked him, already dreading the answer.

"Only a few hours, I promise" he answered, not missing a beat while he studied my form.

' _Caleb_ ' I silently pleaded, hoping he would get me out of this. Instead he just smiled and took a seat on the chair next to him.

"We got time, take all of it you need Professor " he told Sycamore, a smug grin on him as he stared at me with amusement.

' _I hate you._ ' I stated, sitting down and crossing my legs while I let the professor do his thing.

"You'll get over it" he chuckled, planting around on his Pokédex, leaving me to brood silently to myself.

'This is gonna be a long day.' I sighed and rested my head on my paws, slowly drifting off while my form stayed the same.

' _Wake me up when your done_ ' I stated, choosing to ignore the world for the next few hours.

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 **I'll be honest, didn't really know how to end this chapter, but it is what it is, least I got another chapter out, finally. Hope I can do another soon, but I won't get money on it, sorry. I especially hate it sense this chapter was honestly meant to be a bit of a space holder, just to introduce a few new details for the group, so the next chapter will hopefully have a bit more action. I even plan on showing a bit of humor centered around Lee and the new little eevee of the group, but we'll see what happens.**

 **Till then, Bigshot, out.**


	43. Chapter 43

**Holy crap I'm back, after over a year hiatus, gotta say I'm disappointed in myself. I have no excuse other than I am still very busy, as well as unmotivated. I have had plenty of opportunities to write, but I just can't make myself do it. Turns out I have a minor case of depression, so it's hard to really get back into writing. Hopefully I can start it back up again but I can't make any promises, sorry about that.**

 **Also, if I haven't responded to your reviews or PM's, I apologize, I may have been neglecting my readers so I'm sorry. Once more, if you're a guest, don't expect me to reply since I can't respond to guest accounts, but the review is still appreciated.**

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"Finally, salvation, dry ground, sunlight, oh how I missed you" Zack shouted before falling to his knees and holding his hands up to the sky. I sighed and shook my head, hauling the kid back to his feet and pushed him further on ahead.

' _I get that you're happy to be out of the swamp, but try not to make the entire city label us as the weirdo's'_ I told him, receiving a pout from the kid before he nodded and fell back in step with the rest of the group, which currently consisted of me, Caleb, and our two new traveling partners, Marissa and Zack, along with the as of right now unnamed Eevee napping in Caleb's arms, and Ora, who was currently riding on my shoulders. The others rode in their Pokéball's during the entire trip though the route that shall not be named.

"Should have made a better trail through that swamp, would have preferred the badlands over that crap" Marissa grumbled, wringing out some excess water from her hair.

' _It was still funny seeing you fall face first into a cesspool'_ I chuckled, receiving a death glare for my efforts.

"Har har, very funny A-hole" she growled.

' _I know, that's why I said it...but you seriously might wanna consider getting yourself checked, no telling what was hiding in that crap.'_ She grimaced and pulled out her Pokédex.

"Yeah, probably a good idea, I'm gonna go get a check up at the Pokémon center, keep an eye on Ora for me will you." I gave her a thumbs up before watching her walk farther into city, glancing over at Caleb to see him doing the same thing, but his eyes tended to drift just a little lower than mine.

' _Focus lover boy'_ I told him, watching his face light up in embarrassment before he cleared his throat and proceeded onward.

"Okay, now that were finally out of that hell hole, we can finally relax. The gym won't open again till tomorrow so we have all the reason to just hang out and kick our feet up." He told me before shifting the Eevee into one arm and releasing the rest of the team. I grinned at the sight of the small squad I called a family, all of them taking the opportunity to stretch out and examine the city around us.

"So, this is Laverre City...never thought I would ever come here honestly" Yuki muttered, looking up at the colorful cherry blossoms or whatever they call the trees infesting this place.

"Cause of all the Fairy types?" Lee asked from beside her, tilting his head to the side curiously. She nodded and moved to take a seat at my side, nuzzling me affectionately, followed by Lilly who came from literally nowhere.

"So another day all to ourselves, what more can a girl ask for?" the Braixen giggled, running a finger along my chest.

"Sorry love, I promised little Ora here I would help him with his training." I replied, earning a disappointed pout from the fox. She sighed soon after, removing herself from my side before getting tackle hugged by another fox, all six tails wagging as fast as possible.

"Mommy!" Kaen shouted, squirming in her adoptive mothers arms and nuzzling under her neck. I couldn't help but chuckle at the scene before me while Yuki laughed right alongside me.

"Well, at least I won't be bored, feel like this ones gonna keep me plenty busy" she giggled, holding the Vulpix out in front of her and touching her nose with her own.

"I think I will join you, I would love to spend more time with this little one, if you would not mind." Lilly nodded soon after Yuki voiced her request, walking off as well with the furry ying-yang close behind her.

"Focus perv" Caleb told me, nudging me with his elbow after he caught my eyes drifting like his did earlier.

' _Least I'm getting some buddy'_ I said, looking up at him with a smirk plastered on my muzzle. He rolled his eyes with a small chuckle before walking off with Lee at his side.

"Whatever man, I'm gonna do a little bit of exploring of my own, come by the Pokémon center later tonight for dinner" he suddenly stopped and looked back at me with a smirk of his own. "Try not to start a war in the meantime."

' _Yeah, yeah, just make sure you got a gun on you, you know, just in case.'_ He closed his eyes and shook his head, that smile of his on his face. When he was finally out of sight, I pulled Ora off of my shoulders and placed him on the ground, making him stumble a bit before rubbing his eyes with a yawn.

"Morning little buddy, have a nice nap?" I asked, receiving a nod before he looked up at me, eyes lidded. I smiled and patted his head before making to walk along the road into the city as well. "Come on, walking will help you wake up, I have plans that need you to be wide awake."

"What plans?" His tired voice asked, as he moved beside me to follow.

"Well, you said you wanted to train right?" Now I had his attention, going from dead tired to Skitty on cocaine awake in the span of a heartbeat.

"Really, you're gonna teach me, oh my Arceus, this is great!" He shouted, running circles around me while he leaped in the air happily. I quirked a brow at his antics, not slowing my pace, but he had no trouble keeping up with me now. I lazily plucked him from the air mid jump and carried him under my shoulder, hearing the little emanation Pokémon's giggles, accompanied by all the people that happened to be watching at that moment.

"Gonna have to calm down little buddy, don't want to burn off all that energy before we can really even get started." I told him, which did absolutely squat in terms of calming him down.

"I can't calm down; I'm way to excited to actually be learning from another fighting type, and a Lucario at that, this is like a dream come true!" I chuckled and hoisted him onto my shoulder, making him yelp in surprise before he was back to giggling.

"Well then, hope I can live up to your expectations." I told him, deciding to cut the trip short and start leaping up onto the nearest building and running along the rooftops in search of the perfect spot for a battle. This initially earned a small scream from the Fighting type as he was nearly thrown off of his perch from the launch, but he was soon laughing in joy as he was treated to the equivalent to a roller coaster ride, for free, what more could a little boy ask for.

"So how long have you been traveling with Marissa?" I shouted over the sound of the wind rushing past us, making his ears perk as his eyes trained on me.

"Ever since I was born, so about 4 months, I was actually her second Pokémon back when she still lived in Alola." He replied, wrapping his arms around my neck so he could speak directly into my ear.

"Guessing Shea was her starter then?"

"Yeah, she got her from Professor Kukui a few weeks before she moved to Kalos, I was hatched a few days after, and I even helped her catch Mahina a week before we moved." I skidded to a stop on the roof of a pure white building that overlooked a nearby battlefield that already had a number of trainers either battling one another or training with their partners, leaving virtually nothing available for us. I shook my head and went back to running, mentally marking the nearby marshlands as my new destination.

"Isn't that just Alolan for Moon?"

"Yep, Marissa wants her to be a midnight Lycanroc when she evolves, so she named her after something that relates to the night." Rather simple way to name a Pokémon, but I guess it works, definitely could have been worse.

"I already know about Iskra, so that's out of the way, but that leaves two more slots open, anyone else I should know about?"

"Yeah, she has a Luxio she calls Trace, got him from something called the GTS. He's a little hardcore, doesn't like anyone messing with him. To be honest, I think he just tolerates us, doesn't act really friendly, that's why he's almost always in his ball."

Interesting line-up, wonder how everyone's gonna get along later down the road, seeing as how the whole of our two groups haven't really met, especially Trace, can already imagine how fun that guys gonna be. Then again, I don't really need them to get along, as long as they don't kill each other.

"Sounds like quite the group, I'll definitely have to get to know them better." I felt my paw touch bark as the scenery around changed to a sea of orange from the autumn trees that now surrounded us. I scanned the ground and found exactly what I was looking for, a large clearing big enough to equal the battlefield at the Pokémon Center. "Perfect."

"What?" Ora asked curiously, looking all around after being safely deposited onto the ground. I smiled and backed away from the Riolu, putting a healthy distance between us while he was still examining his surroundings. Taking the chance while he was distracted, I picked up a small pebble and tossed it his way, hitting him right on the tip of his snout. He yelped and threw his paws over his nose before turning his eyes my way.

"Stay with me little buddy, we've got quite a bit of work ahead of us and I don't need you distracted." I stated, falling back on my rear and crossing my legs together, not taking my eyes from his. He blinked and tilted his head to the side, curiosity emanating from his form. I remained silent, gesturing for him to come closer, watching him move towards me and take the same pose as I.

"So...what's first?" He asked, starting to shake ever so slightly from the anticipation. I held a digit up to my muzzle, shushing him before taking hold of his shoulders and pushing a little bit of my aura into his.

"First, show me what you can do, try to read my aura" I ordered, receiving a nod before he closed his eyes and his teardrop feelers started to rise with an almost transparent blue flame surrounding them.

"Neutral?" he said after almost 5 minutes, sounding very unsure of his answer. I didn't respond as his eyes opened back up and turned to me, confusion clear in his eyes. "You aren't showing any emotion...that shouldn't be possible."

"It isn't possible pup, one is always expressing some emotion in their aura and you just need to learn how to find it."

"But how could I not sense your emotions?" I held my paw out to him in response, letting my aura collect in my palm to form a small Aura Sphere.

"I have near complete control of my aura...sort of, but I know how to manipulate every aspect of it, including emotions. Anyone can achieve control of their feeling through practice, that's why you need to train yourself everyday so you can render their effort pointless. When you have mastered your empathic abilities, we'll move on to the more complicated stuff, sound cool?"

He nodded eagerly, making me smile and a giggle escape his maw when I picked him up and held him out an arm's length in front of me.

"Now how about we go through some combat training to warm us up?"

His eyes sparkled and he nodded, happy to start on an actual training battle.

"Good, cause were gonna battle till you drop" I said with a smirk and tossed him to the other side of the clearing, watching him right himself midair and land on his paws in a combat stance. I nodded and crossed my paws behind my back, looking down at him before watching him explode off the ground in a dead sprint, charging right towards me.

'Let the fun begin.'

 **Two hours later**

"Good job little buddy, you did very well today." I congratulated, watching the little Riolu give me a salute, right before promptly falling back on the ground, still holding the salute on the way down.

"Yaaaay" he uttered quietly, lazily pumping a fist into the air before falling limp and passing out almost immediately afterwards. I chuckled and knelled down next to the passed out pre-evolution, lifting his limp form from the ground and moving him over to a nearby tree so he could rest up in the shade.

"Still got quite a ways to go little guy, but you'll get there in no time at all if today was any indication." I said with a smile, small snores being my only answer, making me shake my head in amusement. The kid wasn't even trying, wasn't even aware, yet he still made me laugh. Even throughout the training session, he never stopped smiling and joking around, yet still managed to take it seriously at the same time.

"Wow, you're really proud of him aren't you?" I stiffened up as the voice hit my ears, but relaxed almost immediately afterwards as another smile erupted on my muzzle.

"Yes, I am...he's a good kid" I stated, patting his sleeping form before getting back up onto my paws and looking back at the new arrival with a single blood red eye.

"Good to finally see you again Mew."

The little pink feline smiled back at me, floating up to lightly nuzzle my cheek with a small giggle.

"Same here Aaron, I would have come to find you sooner but all the legendaries that haven't been captured have been at the Hall of Origin for the past few days. I nearly got into a shouting match with Arceus just so I could come down to give you an update on the situation."

"I get a sit-rep? Sweet" I told her, making her giggle before she opened a portal from seemingly nowhere and stuck her arm in it to rummage around in whatever happened to be on the other end.

"One sec Aaron, just...gotta...find it...Ah, there it is" she cheered before pulling out a solid white strip of cloth and throwing it my way for me to catch. "That new little Eevee might appreciate that silk scarf, and here's a little something for Kaen." She stuck her paw in the portal and pulled out both a small charcoal collar and a small case and placed them in my arms next to the scarf.

I blinked in surprise and confusion, but gave her my thanks non-the-less, placing the items next to the still snoozing Ora.

"Now that that's out of the way, I wanted to go ahead and warn you that Helios has his grunts searching for you and the others, good news is that their steering clear of the cities and towns ever since they attacked the tournament. The police have actually been doing a surprisingly good job at keeping them at bay, which put a very large constriction on their operations, meaning we have more time to prepare and take them down."

"What's the bad news?" I asked immediately after she finished, catching her by surprise.

"Who said anything about bad news?" she replied. I stared at her with a deadpan expression, making her giggle nervously. She gulped and gave me a small nervous smile, which quickly disappeared afterwards.

"We lost contact with the Zapdos and Moltres, were pretty sure they've been captured, meaning even after we recovered Suicune and Entei, were right back to square one." She sighed, opening up another portal, which currently showed the entire league of legendaries, all lit up in perfect detail until a small paw poked the image of Moltres and Zapdos, making them slowly fade to black.

"Well can't you just rescue them to, I mean they can stand up to every legendary, God knows there's enough of them" I muttered that last part, receiving no indication whether she heard it or not.

"I wish we could, but we barely got them out last time, now Helios knows we know and he no doubt prepared for another attack." She was silent for a moment, looking slightly depressed, which made my ears sag ever so slightly.

"Mew"

"...I'm worried Aaron, its already started and we can't do anything about it, Zapdos and Moltres were only the beginning...makes us all wonder who's next." My tail fell limp along with hers as I looked at her saddened expression with eyes filled with sympathy. I lifted an arm up towards her, holding her cheek with the soft pads of my paw.

"Mew, it's alright, don't worry about the future, always focus on the present and how to best deal with every situation it throws at you." Her big blue eyes opened slowly, lifting up to look at me as a small smile tugged at her lips. "Don't let them get to you, there's still a legion of super strong legendaries running around, there's no way they can take all of you on at once, so we have time to figure something out."

She nodded, a small sigh escaping her as she formed a small portal next to her.

"Your right...thank you...I will keep that in mind." She replied, giving me a small farewell hug and slowly moved towards said portal. "I need to go discuss a few things with Arceus, good luck Aaron." With that, she departed without a single word, the portal closing behind her, leaving me alone in the clearing with the still sleeping Riolu and a new set of concerns on my mind.

The situation must be hitting her harder than I thought, even going as far as making her usual jubilant and carefree personality take a complete one-eighty, which actually worried me more than anything Sunburst could possibly come up with.

I put a paw to my chin and closed my eyes in thought, mulling over what little information she had given me.

Given the current situation were in, all we can do is keep on traveling and taking them on as we see them. It also might be a good idea to get the rest of the group up to speed about this problem so they can be better prepared. Marissa should already know plenty about them, while Zack will definitely need a whole lesson, having only actually met a few grunts in the short time I've known him.

Hopefully it won't put too much stress on the team, but might want to play it safe and keep my main mission under wraps for now. Not the greatest idea I admit, but I still remember plenty of scenarios where it can end badly with either option chosen, so I'm basically choosing the lesser of two evils.

That comes later though, right now we need to bide our time while the legendaries find out where their held up, that in and of itself pisses me off. I hate waiting, but Caleb and his travel buddies are still just kids, even if their nearly in their twenties, except maybe Zack. Then again, it is always kids taking down the criminal organizations, which is actually pretty retarded now that I think about it. For now, I just need to get back into town and get some rest, been training since we stepped into town and I'm beat.

I let my eyes wander back to the slumbering Riolu, the little guy still lying where I put him, having not moved even once during the entire conversation between me and the legendary.

I couldn't help but smile when I went to pick him up, settling him in the crook of my arm while grabbing the stone and scarf and putting them under the other before making my way back town, a small yawn escaping my muzzle after finally clearing the tree line.

"Nggg...What's going on?" Ora asked after suddenly waking up with a snort. A small paw felt around my chest, softly tapping against the spike before he calmed back down and snuggled into my chest fur.

"Relax buddy, were heading back into town, so just go ahead and go back to sleep, we'll be back and in bed in a few minutes." I told him, felling him nod ever so slightly before falling back into unconsciousness. I chuckled, gently petting his head before turning back to the forest ahead and starting the trek back to town.


End file.
